Health Consequences...49 Academic Consequences...53 Other Consequences...54 What Are the Social Norms of Binge Drinking in Our Community?...

Transcription

1 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking

2 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Introduction... 5 Methodology... 6 Primary Data... 6 Secondary Data... 7 Demographics...12 Target Population...12 College Students...12 What is the Prevalence of Binge Drinking?...14 Summary of Key Findings on Prevalence...14 Target Population Binge Drinking...16 High School Student Binge Drinking...17 College Student Binge Drinking...18 Adult Binge Drinking...22 Perception of Prevalence...24 Where Are Youth Accessing and Drinking Alcohol?...28 Summary of Key Findings on Access...28 Alcohol Outlets...28 Adult Purchasers...29 Alcohol Theft...30 Role of Parents...30 Ease of Access...31 Location of Drinking...32 What Are the Consequences of Binge Drinking?...37 Summary of Key Findings on Consequences...37 Drinking and Driving...38 Other Alcohol Related Arrests...42 Sexual Assault and Unsafe Sexual Behavior...47

3 Health Consequences...49 Academic Consequences...53 Other Consequences...54 What Are the Social Norms of Binge Drinking in Our Community?...58 Summary of Key Findings on Social Norms...58 Perceptions of Harm...58 Definition of Binge Drinking...59 Binge Drinking Acceptance...60 Geographical Breakdown...63 Overview...63 North County...63 South County...64 San Lorenzo Valley...66 Data Assessment Conclusions...69 Resource Assessment and Review...74 Summary of Key Finding from Resource Gap Analysis...74 CURB Review of Local Resources...76 Inventory Of Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) Strategies...88 Appendix I: Additional Cabrillo College Data...90 Appendix II: Focus Group Results...92 Appendix III: Community Forum Results...98 Appendix IV: Local and State Laws

4 Table of Figures Figure 1: Percent of Respondents Who Had 5 or More Drinks at One Time in the Past Month, Ages 16 to 20, 2001 and Figure 2: Percent of 9 th and 11 th Grade Students Who Drank 5 or More Drinks of Alcohol in a Row During the Past 30 Days, Figure 3: Percent of High School Students Who During Their Lifetime Have Been Very Drunk or Sick After Drinking Alcohol, Figure 4: Mean Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed at One Time, UCSC Students Figure 5: How Many Times During the Last Two Weeks UCSC Student Had Five/Four or More Drinks in a Row ( Binge drinking ) Figure 6: How Often Did UCSC Students Drink Enough to Have Been Drunk Since the Beginning of This Quarter? Figure 7: How Many Drinks Do You Typically Consume at a Party? (UCSC Students) Figure 8: Number of Times Cabrillo College Students Had Five or More Drinks at a Sitting Over the Past Two Weeks, By Gender Figure 9: Percent of Santa Cruz County residents who drink more than two alcoholic drinks in one sitting at least one time a week Figure 10: Rate of Adult Binge Drinking Prevalence in California Over the Past Month, Figure 11: Percent of Respondents Who Had 5 or More Drinks at One Time in the Past Month, Ages 18 and Older, 2001 and Figure 12: Cabrillo College Student Perceptions of Average Student Use of Alcohol, By Gender Figure 13: How Many Drinks Do Males Typically Consume at a Party? Figure 14: How Many Drinks Do Females Typically Consume at a Party? Figure 15: Number of Alcohol Outlets per 1,000 People Figure 16: Locations Where UCSC Students Have Purchased Alcohol During This Last Quarter Figure 17: Percentage of UCSC Students Who Purchased Alcohol for a Friend or Acquaintance, During This Last Quarter Figure 18: Perception that Alcohol is Fairly Easy or Very Easy to Obtain, Figure 19: Percent of UCSC Students Who Reported It Would Be Easy or Very Easy to Find the Following Locations Where They Could Obtain Alcohol Without Showing ID Figure 20: Locations Cabrillo College Student Has Used Alcohol, By Gender Figure 21: Locations Where UCSC Students Were Drinking Alcohol, During the Last Quarter Figure 22: Percent of 9th and 11th Grade Students Who Had at Least One Drink of Alcohol on School Property in the Past Thirty Days,

5 Figure 23: Percent of Students Who Have Ever Driven a Car When They Had Been Drinking, or Been in a Car Driven by a Friend When They Had Been Drinking, Figure 24: Percent of Cabrillo College Students Who Experienced These Consequences of Drinking / Drug Use and Driving During the Last Year Figure 25: UCSC Students Reported Drinking and Driving Behaviors, In the Last Quarter.. 40 Figure 26: Juvenile Misdemeanor DUI Arrest Rate per 10, Figure 27: Number of Felony and Misdemeanor DUI Arrests Compared to the Number of DUI Convictions, Ages 14 to Figure 28: Number of Santa Cruz County DUI Fatal and Injury Crashes, Figure 29: Number of Juvenile Drunk in Public Misdemeanor Arrests, by Jurisdiction Figure 30: Number of Juvenile Liquor Law Misdemeanor Arrests*, by Jurisdiction Figure 31: Juvenile Misdemeanor Alcohol Arrest Rate per 10,000 Youth Aged 10-17, Santa Cruz County Figure 32: Number of Juvenile Misdemeanor Alcohol Arrests, by Age, Santa Cruz County.. 46 Figure 33: Number of Juvenile Misdemeanor Alcohol Arrests, by Gender, Santa Cruz County Figure 34: Percent of UCSC Students Who Got Into Trouble as a Consequence of Drinking, In the Last Quarter Figure 35: Percent of Cabrillo College Students Who Reported Being Taken Advantage of Sexually As a Consequence of Drinking or Drug Use During the Last Year, By Gender Figure 36: Percent of UCSC Students Who Reported Negative Sexual Consequences of Drinking, In the Last Quarter Figure 37: UCSC Students Who Experienced Negative Sexual Consequences Due to Other people s Drinking (Second-Hand Effects), During the Last Quarter Figure 38: Percent of Cabrillo College Students Who Experienced Health Consequences of Drinking or Drug Use During the Last Year Figure 39: Percent of UCSC Students Who Reported Negative Health Consequences of Drinking, In the Last Quarter Figure 40: Number of 12 to 25 Year Olds Who Were Seen at Dominican Hospital for Alcohol Related Diagnosis Figure 41: All Alcohol Related Ambulance Runs, 25 years or younger, Figure 42: Alcohol Related Ambulance Runs, 25 years or younger, Figure 43: Alcohol Related Ambulance Runs, 25 years or younger, by Location, Figure 44: Percent of Cabrillo College Students Who Experienced Negative Academic Consequences of Drinking or Drug Use During the Last Year Figure 45: Percent of UCSC Students Who Reported Negative Academic Consequences of Drinking, In the Last Quarter Figure 46: UCSC Students Who Experienced Negative Academic Consequences Due to Other People s Drinking (Second-Hand Effects), During the Last Quarter Figure 47: Percent of Cabrillo College Students Who Experienced Other Consequences of Drinking or Drug Use During the Last Year... 54

6 Figure 48: Percent of UCSC Students Who Reported Negative Other Consequences of Drinking, In the Last Quarter Figure 49: UCSC Students Who Experienced Other Consequences Due to Other people s Drinking (Second-Hand Effects), During the Last Quarter Figure 50: Percent of Students Whose Perception is that Frequent Use of Alcohol (Every day or almost everyday) is Extremely Harmful, Figure 51: What is the Definition of Binge Drinking For Males? (Number of Drinks in About 2 Hours) Figure 52: What is the Definition of Binge Drinking For Females? (Number of Drinks in About 2 Hours) Figure 53: How Acceptable Is Binge Drinking? Figure 54: How Acceptable Is Binge Drinking for Youth Ages 16 to 20? Figure 55: Number of Days Cabrillo College Student Had Alcohol During the Past 30 Days, By Gender Figure 56: Age Cabrillo College Student First Used Alcohol, By Gender... 91

7 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking Executive Summary Among youth in Santa Cruz County there is a high level of binge drinking which is commonly defined as five or more drinks at one time. To reduce youth binge drinking, Community United to Reduce Bingeing (CURB) is developing and implementing environmental prevention strategies. CURB is lead by the Santa Cruz County Alcohol and Drug Program and is working in collaboration with Together for Youth/Unidos Para Nuestros Jovenes (TFY/UPNJ). The primary purpose of this document is to display the compilation and analysis of the primary qualitative and secondary quantitative data and present the review of local resources currently working to prevent and/or reduce binge drinking in Santa Cruz County. The collection and analysis of needs and resource data has supported the identification of environmental strategies to be implemented in Santa Cruz County by CURB. In addition, the data will serve as measurement for indicators of CURB s longterm outcome, the reduction of binge drinking and its consequences in youth ages 16 to 20. Methodology In order to implement effective approaches, CURB narrowed the target population of its efforts to youth under the drinking age of 21, specifically to youth ages 16 to 20. After this identification, CURB established four primary research questions for the community needs assessment. This information will assist CURB in developing a comprehensive community-based environmental prevention plan targeting ages 16 to 20 in specific communities in Santa Cruz County. These research questions are: What is the prevalence of binge drinking? Where are underage drinkers accessing and drinking alcohol? What are the consequences of underage binge drinking? What are the social norms of binge drinking? ASR answered these questions through the analysis of primary and secondary data. The primary data is predominately qualitative information collected in community forums and youth focus groups. Secondary data was collected from a variety of archival data sources. Summary of Key Findings Overall binge drinking is prevalent in the communities of youth, college students, and adults in Santa Cruz County. Twenty-six percent of the target population of youth ages 1

8 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking 16 to 20, according to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), reported binge drinking in the last 30 days in Santa Cruz County compared to 18% in California. In Santa Cruz County, in 2002, 18% of high school freshman reported binge drinking in the past thirty days compared to 29% of juniors. This is slightly more than the California percentage where 13% of freshmen and 26% of juniors reported binge drinking during the same time period. This behavior is also found in local college students with 53% of University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) students in 2004 reporting they had binged one or more times in the last two weeks and 32% of students attending Cabrillo College in 2003 reporting that they had binged in the last two weeks. Key findings also include a high percentage of underage youth reporting that alcohol is easy to access and that binge drinking often occurs at parties. Eighty percent of high school juniors in both Santa Cruz County and California reported that alcohol was fairly or very easy to access. In regards to where binge drinking was occurring, many youth reported that it occurred at parties. Cabrillo College students cited parties as the location where they most often used alcohol (60%). UCSC students also cited private parties as the location where alcohol is most often consumed (75%). Data on consequences includes self-reported consequences, arrest data, ambulance data and other data elements related to consequences of the behavior. One critical finding is that in Santa Cruz County, 35% of 11 th grade students reported that they have driven while under the influence of alcohol, or had ridden in a car with someone who was drinking. Twenty-nine percent of Cabrillo College students and 16% of UCSC students reported that they have driven while under the influence of alcohol and 32% of UCSC students reported that they had ridden in a car with someone who was drinking. Despite these consequences, community forum participants reported that the community found binge drinking highly acceptable and that many adults purchased or condoned youth drinking. Data Assessment Conclusions Youth and adults demonstrate high levels of binge drinking. The number of youth who binge drink increases with age. Binge drinking is more prevalent in males. Youth perceive that their peers binge drink more than themselves. Alcohol is easy to obtain by underage drinkers. Adults over 21 are purchasing alcohol for underage drinkers. Binge drinking often occurs at private parties. 2

9 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking Youth are drinking and driving and riding with intoxicated drivers. Binge drinking is resulting in unwanted and unplanned sexual activity. Binge drinking is impacting the lives of those who do not binge drink. Some young people perceive binge drinking not to be harmful. Many residents are not aware of the definition binge drinking. The community is perceived to have a high tolerance of binge drinking. Summary of Resource Gaps The current services and programs available are extensive, however many are not directed at the target population of youth ages 16 to 20. In addition, they do not focus on age groups who may assist in the access of alcohol by the target group, young adults (ages 21 to 25) or parents that allow youth to drink. Gaps in services and resources are specified below. Countywide the level of services per person proportionally is substantially lower than that of the services in the City of Watsonville and City of Santa Cruz. The communities of Watsonville, Santa Cruz (Beach Flats), San Lorenzo Valley, and Live Oak are less affluent communities and many residents cannot afford to pay for services. In addition, free or low cost resources are limited and the needs exceed availability. Environmental strategies are not enforced in consistent, standardized manner throughout the county. Resource providers focus on information dissemination, problem identification and referral, and alternative strategies, which do not necessarily address needs and yield limited results. Environmental prevention strategies are utilized by some law enforcement agencies but no coordinated efforts other than DUI check points or dedicated resources are available to implement, enhance and evaluate environmental prevention strategies such as cost response and shoulder tap ordinances. Individual strategies such as education, problem identification and referral, and alternatives are the primary strategies used to address youth binge drinking and although effective, these methods do not address the issues of youth access or community norms and standards. The types of resources available are not always developmentally appropriate or socially acceptable for the target population of ages 16 to 20. Of the resources available, only one-third specifically provide services utilized by the target population. The one-third of resources available to the target population are 3

10 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking further limited by socioeconomic status, geography, availability or provided only to selective populations. 4

11 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking Introduction Among youth in Santa Cruz County there is a high level of binge drinking which is commonly defined as five or more drinks at one time. To reduce youth binge drinking, Community United to Reduce Bingeing (CURB) is developing and implementing environmental prevention strategies. CURB is lead by the Santa Cruz County Alcohol and Drug Program and is working in collaboration with Together for Youth/Unidos Para Nuestros Jovenes (TFY/UPNJ). An initial goal of CURB is to perform a community needs assessment. In this effort, CURB contracted with Applied Survey Research (ASR), a local community research organization, to assist with the development and completion of the community needs assessment. CURB also contracted with Andrew Davis, an independent evaluation consultant, and the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) to collect primary qualitative data from community forums and youth focus groups. CURB staff collected secondary data (pre-existing data) from a variety of county, state and federal sources and provided this information to ASR to analyze. This assessment is combined with a review on local resources, which was performed by CURB staff. The primary purpose of this document is to display the compilation and analysis of the primary qualitative and secondary quantitative data and present the review of local resources currently working to prevent and/or reduce binge drinking in Santa Cruz County. The collection and analysis of needs and resource data has supported the identification of environmental strategies to be implemented in Santa Cruz County by CURB. In addition, the data will serve as measurement for indicators of CURB s longterm outcome, the reduction of binge drinking and its consequences in youth ages 16 to 20. 5

12 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking Methodology In order to implement effective approaches, CURB narrowed the target population of its efforts to youth under the drinking age of 21, specifically to youth ages 16 to 20. After this identification, CURB established four primary research questions for the community needs assessment. This information will assist CURB in developing a comprehensive community-based environmental prevention plan targeting ages 16 to 20 in specific communities in Santa Cruz County. These research questions are: What is the prevalence of binge drinking? Where are underage drinkers accessing and drinking alcohol? What are the consequences of underage binge drinking? What are the social norms of binge drinking? ASR answered these questions through the analysis of primary and secondary data. The primary data is predominately qualitative information collected in community forums and youth focus groups. Secondary data was collected from a variety of archival data sources. Primary Data Forum Data Between March 29 and April 27, 2005, a series of open community forums were conducted in various locations throughout Santa Cruz County. These included community-based forums in the communities of Aptos, Davenport, Santa Cruz City, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, and Watsonville. In addition, forums were conducted for countywide professional groups with expertise in the area, including the Together For Youth Collaborative and the County ADP staff, and Treatment Providers Group. Many forums were co-sponsored by local groups with an interest in reducing binge drinking, including the Neighborhood Accountability Boards, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, Mountain Community Resource Center, Davenport Community Center and Santa Cruz County Friday Night Live Partnership (SCCFNLP). The communitybased forums were promoted through newspaper advertisements and articles; fliers posted throughout the community, and outreach through local co-sponsors, faith communities, personal, and professional networks. A total of 98 youth and adults attended the forums. The agenda and activities were adapted for the cultural and linguistic characteristics of each community and the specific logistical issues in each venue. Simultaneous 6

13 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking language translation was provided as needed, and native speakers were available as presenters where appropriate and possible. At the beginning of each forum, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their awareness and understanding of binge drinking and environmental strategies. During the forum, project staff kept notes of discussion topics, specific information and opinions, and results from strategy rating. In addition, post-forum discussions were held where staff discussed key points and issues raised in small group sessions and individual discussions with participants. Youth Focus Groups The Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) conducted the youth focus groups in five locations from April 20-21, 2005 with a total of 37 youth. The focus groups were held at Mountain Community Resource Center, Reclaiming Futures Youth Summit Group in Live Oak, Aptos Resurrection Church youth group, Soquel High School, and Caminos program in Watsonville representing youth participants from cities and neighborhoods throughout Santa Cruz County. Participants in each focus group were asked 11 questions about binge drinking, with questions ranging from how young people obtain alcohol, where they drink, social norms and messages, and the consequences of binge drinking. YLI staff in conjunction with County Drug and Alcohol Programs and the United Way developed the focus group questions. Two YLI staff members conducted each focus group and then compared notes and discussed preliminary themes after each session. YLI staff reviewed full focus group transcripts after they were completed and developed themes independently, and then cross-validated the themes. Secondary Data Secondary (pre-existing) data were collected from a variety of sources, including but not limited to: the US Census; federal, state, and local government agencies; academic institutions; health care institutions; and computerized sources through online databases and the Internet. The survey data used in this report are from the following studies: California Health Interview Survey California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is the largest health survey of its kind in the nation. Further, CHIS is the largest telephone survey in California, interviewing one randomly selected adult in over 55,000 households. Further, the survey reached over 7

14 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking 5,000 adolescents (ages 12 17) and, through interviewing their parent, over 12,000 children under age 12. The major areas covered in the survey include health-related behaviors, health insurance coverage, health status and conditions, and access to health care services. To ensure diverse populations were included in the survey, telephone interviews were conducted in six languages: English,, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese dialects), Vietnamese, Korean, and Khmer (Cambodian). There were approximately 1,000 Santa Cruz County residents interviewed in 2001 and approximately 600 residents interviewed in California Safer Schools Study, University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz was one of the schools that participated in the 2003 and 2004 California Safer Schools Study. These studies were conducted by a team of researchers of the Prevention Research Center (PRC), part of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). The main purpose of the research was to gather data on alcohol and other drug use on college campuses in the University of California and California State University systems. In 2003, UCSC provided PRC with a randomly selected list of 2,000 undergraduate students at least 18 years old; in 2004, PRC was provided with a randomly selected database of 1,000 undergraduate students. The way the survey was administered varied each year. The 2003 Study used both an Internet survey and paper survey to collect data from 887 respondents aged 18 and older. In comparison, the 2004 Study used only an Internet survey to gather responses from 429 adult students. Respondents both years were given a check for $10 that they could cash whether or not they completed a survey. The following table shows the basic demographics of the survey respondents Gender Male 40% 41% Female 59% 59% Age in Years 18 25% 23% 19 23% 21% 20 18% 21% 21 16% 16% 22 to 25 14% 16% 26 to 35 4% 3% 36 to 45 1% 0% 8

15 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking 46 and older 0% 0% A cademic Status Freshman 27% 22% Sophomore 22% 23% Junior 25% 29% Senior 26% 26% Ethnicity African American 3% 3% American Indian 3% 1% Asian / Pacific Islander East Indian /Pakistani 28% 26% 1% 2% Latino / Hispanic 18% 14% White 62% 64% Other 9% 7% Note: Unweighted data shown here. Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. Cabrillo College Core Alcohol and Drug Survey Cabrillo College is the public California Community College located in Santa Cruz County. In 2003, Student Health Services and the Associate Degree nursing students conducted a campus-wide survey of Cabrillo College students to gather information on alcohol and other drug use. A total of 586 surveys were collected from Cabrillo College. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was developed to measure alcohol and other drug useage, attitudes, and perceptions among college students. The survey asks questions related to students attitudes, perceptions, and opinions about alcohol and other drugs. In addition, there are questions about the students own use and the consequences of use. The following table shows the basic demographics of the survey respondents Gender Male 41% Female 59% Age in Years 18 11% 19 17% 20 13% 9

16 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking 21 10% 22 to 25 17% 26 to 35 16% 36 to 45 7% 46 and older 5% Ethnicity African American 2% American Indian 2% Asian / Pacific Islander 5% Latino / Hispanic 19% White 66% Other 7% California Healthy Kids Survey The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) is a comprehensive youth self-report data collection system that provides essential and reliable health risk assessment and resilience information to schools, school districts, and communities. It is developed and conducted by a multidisciplinary team of expert researchers, evaluators, and health and prevention practitioners. In 2002, there were 2,128 survey administered to 9 th and 11 th grade students in Santa Cruz County. The data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) has several limitations and therefore should to be interpreted with caution. First, students could be excluded from participation at different stages during the study. This uncontrollable and selective refusal rate may result in skewed samples. Finally, as this was a self-administered survey, there may have been inconsistencies in how questions were interpreted and answered, which could not be validated at the time of data collection. Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project (CAP) Telephone Survey Over the past 11 years, a consortium of public/private agencies and organizations in Santa Cruz County, California, have sponsored the annual Community Assessment Project to measure quality of life. A primary purpose of CAP is to encourage collaborative community action to positively impact community goals. For the first 10 years, Applied Survey Research conducted an annual telephone survey, in both English and, with over 700 randomly selected County residents. The survey will now be conducted every other year. The intent of the survey is to measure the opinions, attitudes, desires, and needs of a demographically representative sample of the County s residents. Respondents are asked open-ended questions as well as questions that present confined options. 10

17 Santa Cruz County Binge Drinking In 1995, the CAP showed alarming rates of teen alcohol and drug use, much higher than in the state of California. The CAP data acted as a catalyst in bringing together a coalition of 110 agencies and individuals to develop seven strategies including new laws, public education, a grand jury report, youth leadership training, referral and home visiting programs, new teen centers and treatment services, and a public policy panel on youth access to alcohol. The coalition is now known as Together for Youth/Unidos Para Nuestros Jovenes (TFY/UPNJ). 11

18 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Demographics Target Population CURB is targeting youth ages 16 to 20. In Santa Cruz County, in 2005, there were 20,730 people ages 16 to 20 which is 8% of the overall population. In this population aged 16 to 20, 59% were Caucasian, 31% were Hispanic, 5% were Asian, 1% were African American, and 4% were of other races (State of California, Department of Finance, Race/Ethnic Population with Age and Sex Detail, Sacramento, CA, May 2004). College Students The population of students at Cabrillo College and UCSC may not be reflected in the overall county statistics because students may not be residents of Santa Cruz County. Therefore, it is also important to look at the population of both colleges. University of California, Santa Cruz In Fall 2003, UC Santa Cruz had about 14,000 students. Undergraduates pursue course work in 61 majors, and graduate students work toward master's degrees, Ph.D. degrees, and graduate certificates in 32 academic fields. All undergraduates, whether they live on campus or off, are affiliated with one of the UCSC colleges (Cowell, Stevenson, Crown, Merrill, Porter, Kresge, Oakes, Eight, Nine, or Ten). Although students take classes in any number of colleges and academic units throughout the campus, core courses within each college provide a common academic base for firstyear and transfer students. In Fall 2003, 58% of the population at UCSC was ages 17 to 20 (some students could have been younger than 17). There were slightly more females (55%) than males (45%). In Fall 2003, 58% of students were Caucasian, 16% were Hispanic or Latino, 15% were Asian, 3% were African American, and 12% were other races or ethnicities. Cabrillo College Cabrillo College is one of 109 public California community colleges. Situated on the Monterey Bay in the County of Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College is one of the most highly regarded community colleges in the state for its success in the area of transfer and career education and currently serves over 15,000 students. Cabrillo College transfers many of its students to three nearby universities the University of California at Santa Cruz, San Jose State University, and California State University at Monterey Bay. Cabrillo College offers a variety of programs that lead to Skills Certificates, Certificates of Proficiency, and A.S. Degrees. 12

19 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County In the school year, 10% of enrolled students at Cabrillo College listed their address as out of Santa Cruz County. The mean age of students at Cabrillo College was 30. Similar to UCSC, there were slightly more females (55%) than males (45%). In Spring 2004, 65% of students were Caucasian, 24% were Hispanic, 5% were Asian, 2% were African American, and 3% were other races or ethnicities. 13

20 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County What is the Prevalence of Binge Drinking? Summary of Key Findings on Prevalence According to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), approximately 26% of youth ages 16 to 20 reported binge drinking in Santa Cruz County compared to 18% in California. In Santa Cruz County, in 2002, 18% of high school freshman reported binge drinking in the past thirty days compared to 29% of juniors. This is slightly more than the California percentage where 13% of freshmen and 26% of juniors reported binge drinking during the same time period (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2002). Twenty-nine percent of Santa Cruz County high school freshman reported being very drunk or sick from alcohol compared to 54% of juniors, both of which were higher than California percentages at 21% for freshman and 43% for juniors (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2002). Forty-nine percent of University of California Santa Cruz students in 2003 had binged one or more times in the last two weeks and 53% reported binge drinking in this time period in 2004 (California Safer Schools Study, 2003 and 2004). Sixty-eight percent of students attending Cabrillo College in 2003 reported that they did not binge drink in the last two weeks and 32% reported binge drinking at least once in this time period (Cabrillo College Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, 2003). Almost twice the number of Cabrillo College men had binged 1 to 2 times (29%) as compared to women (16%). Eleven percent of men had binged 3 to 5 times as compared to 5% of women. At the highest level of binging (6 to 9 times over the last two weeks), 6% were men and 1 % were women (Cabrillo College Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, 2003). According to the 2001 California Department of Health Services report entitled Prevalence of Binge Drinking in California Counties, Santa Cruz County was the 6 th worst county in California for binge drinking among residents ages 18 to 34. Within Santa Cruz County, in 2003 North County had the most residents who drank more than two alcoholic drinks in one sitting at least one time a week (46%), followed by San Lorenzo Valley (39%) and South County (32%). In Santa Cruz County overall in 2003, the percentage of residents who drank this amount was 39% (Applied Survey Research, Santa Cruz Community Assessment Project, ). 14

21 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County 15

22 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Target Population Binge Drinking The environmental strategies that CURB will be implementing will have some impact on all ages; however, the primary age group CURB is targeting to reduce bingedrinking behavior is youth ages 16 to 20. According to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), binge drinking in this age group in Santa Cruz County is higher than California. Approximately 26% of youth ages 16 to 20 reported binge drinking in Santa Cruz County compared to 18% in California. For Santa Cruz County male respondents, 36% reported binging in Figure 1: Percent of Respondents Who Had 5 or More Drinks at One Time in the Past Month, Ages 16 to 20, 2001 and 2003 Male Female 7.5%* 13.7%* 31.1% 36.3% Latino Caucasian 19.3%* 31.2% 33.2% Santa Cruz County OVERALL 24.9% 26.0% Male 23.3% 23.3% Female Latino 13.7% 11.9% 15.6% 16.0% California Caucasian 25.5% 23.3% OVERALL 18.7% 18.0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Percent Source: California Health Interview Survey, 2001 and * Statistically unstable due to a low number of respondents. Caution should be used with this data. Note: Binge drinkin g in the p ast month (5 or more drinks at one time) has these restrictions: Asked of all adults and adolescents except those who answered by proxy through another person. CHIS does not ask potentially sensitive questions of proxy respondents. 16

23 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County High School Student Binge Drinking The data indicates that binge drinking is more prevalent as students get older. In Santa Cruz County, in 2002, 18% of high school freshman reported binge drinking in the past thirty days compared to 29% of juniors. This is slightly over the California percentage where 13% of freshmen and 26% of juniors reported binge drinking in this time period. The percentage of students who reported being very drunk or sick from alcohol shows a similar trend. Twenty-nine percent of Santa Cruz County freshman students reported being very drunk or sick from alcohol compared to 54% of juniors, both of which were higher than California percentages at 21% for freshman and 43% for juniors. Figure 2: Percent of 9 th and 11 th Grade Students Who Drank 5 or More Drinks of Alcohol in a Row During the Past 30 Days, % 30% 29% 26% 9th grade 11th grade Percent 20% 18% 13% 10% 0% Santa Cruz California Source: Santa Cruz California Healthy Kids Survey, California State Survey, Figure 3: Percent of High School Students Who During Their Lifetime Have Been Very Drunk or Sick After Drinking Alcohol, % 9th grade 11th grade 75% Percent 50% 25% 29% 54% 21% 43% 0% Santa Cruz California Source: Santa Cruz California Healthy Kids Survey, California State Survey,

24 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County College Student Binge Drinking Santa Cruz County has two college level schools, University of California Santa Cruz and Cabrillo Community College. Both of these schools have collected information on alcohol use by their students. The methodology and demographics of the survey respondents are discussed in this report s methodology section. Each survey collects information on students reported binge drinking. It is important to note that the University of California s survey asked about binge drinking in the last two weeks and Cabrillo College s survey asked about binge drinking in the last thirty days. Due to the differences in the phrasing of the questions, limited comparisons can be made. University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) In 2003 and 2004, University of California Santa Cruz students were asked about their drinking behavior. When the results for these two years were compared, the 2004 data indicated that students were drinking more drinks at one time, were binging more frequently, and were drunk more often. UCSC students were asked to report how often they had binged in the last two weeks. Smaller percentages of students reported that they did not binge in the last two weeks (50% in 2003, 46% in 2004), and higher percentages of students had binged one or more times in the last two weeks (49% in 2003, 53% in 2004). When UCSC students were asked to report how often they had gotten drunk during the current school quarter, the most common response was 1 to 5 days (43% in 2003, 41% in 2004). The percentage of students who had been drunk at least one time over the past quarter increased from 79% in 2003 to 83% in Of the UCSC students who drank, they most frequently reported consuming 3 to 4 drinks at a party (28% in 2003, 26% in 2004). In 2004, there was a smaller percentage of students who drank 1 to 4 drinks than in 2003 (51% in 2003 compared to 45% in 2004), and a higher percentage of students in 2004 drank 5 or more drinks than in 2003 (28% in 2003 compared to 31% in 2004). However, there was a slight increase in the percentage of students who did not drink at all at parties, with 21% not drinking in 2003, and 23% not drinking at parties in

25 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Figure 4: Mean Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed at One Time, UCSC Students 5 Number Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and Figure 5: How Many Times During the Last Two Weeks UCSC Student Had Five/Four or More Drinks in a Row ( Binge drinking ) 60% 50.1% 46.0% Percent 40% 20% 0% 19.4% 21.0% 16.0% 14.4% 14.0% 10.9% 3.8% 1.0% 0.9% 1.0% None 1 Time 2 Times 3-5 Times 6-9 Times 10+ Times 2003 N = 341; 2004 N = 339 Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and Note: This result uses the standard public health definition of binge drinking, which is five drinks for men and four drinks for women in about two hours. 19

26 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Figure 6: Since the Beginning of This Quarter, How Often Did UCSC Students Drink Enough to Have Been Drunk? 60% % 42.8% 41.0% Percent 20% 0% 21.3% 17.0% 15.0% 13.0% 3.1% 2.0% Never 1-5 Days 6-10 Days Less Than Once a Month 10.0% 6.6% 1-3 Times a Month 12.4% 14.0% Once a Week or More 0.7% 0.0% Almost Every Day 2003 N = 752; 2004 N = 349 Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and Figure 7: How Many Drinks Do You Typically Consume at a Party? (UCSC Students) 60% % Percent 20% 21.0% 23.0% 22.7% 19.0% 27.9% 26.0% 15.9% 16.0% 7.6% 10.0% 4.6% 5.3% 0% None 1-2 Drinks 3-4 Drinks 5-6 Drinks 7-8 Drinks 9+ Drinks 2003 N = 899; 2004 N = 433 Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and

27 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Cabrillo Community College In 2003, the Cabrillo College Student Health Services and the Cabrillo College nursing students conducted a campus-wide survey of its community college students about drug and alcohol use. Cabrillo College students were asked to report how many times they had five or more drinks at a sitting over the past two weeks. Sixty-eight percent reported that they did not binge drink in the previous two weeks and 32% reported binging at least once in this time period. The most common response was None (68%), followed by 1 to 2 times (21%), 3 to 5 times (8%), and 6 to 9 times (3%). More women than men reported they had not binged (77% and 53%, respectively). Almost twice the number of men had binged 1 to 2 times (29%) as compared to women (16%). Eleven percent of men had binged 3 to 5 times as compared to 5% of women. At the highest level of binging (6 to 9 times over the last two weeks), 6% were men and 1 % were women. Figure 8: Number of Times Cabrillo College Students Had Five or More Drinks at a Sitting Over the Past Two Weeks, By Gender 100% 80% 77.4% 68.2% Male (n = 219) Female (n = 318) Total (N = 578) Percent 60% 40% 20% 0% 53.0% 28.8% 16.4% 20.8% 11.4% 5.0% 7.6% 6.4% 1.0% 3.1% None 1-2 Times 3-5 Times 6-9 Times Note: Total response bar includes college students who did not indicate their gender. Source: Cabrillo College Core Alcohol and Drug Survey,

28 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Adult Binge Drinking In the Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project, respondents were asked if they drank more than two alcoholic drinks in one setting at least one time a week. Slightly less than half of the respondents in the North County area reported that they drank more than two drinks at one setting in the years 2001, 2002, and In comparison, a third of respondents in South County reported this behavior during the same time period. Thirty nine percent of respondents from San Lorenzo Valley reported having drunk more than two alcoholic drinks in one setting at least one time a week in 2003 which was down from 47% of San Lorenzo Valley respondents in 2001 and 42% in In 2003, only North County had a higher percentage of people who drank more than two drinks in one sitting when compared to the overall numbers for Santa Cruz County. Figure 9: Percent of Santa Cruz County residents who drink more than two alcoholic drinks in one sitting at least one time a week Percent 80% 60% 40% N = 232 N = 201 N = % 43.6% 45.8% N = 290 N = 226 N = % 34.9% 31.5% N = 211 N = 224 N = % N = 224 N = 702 N = % 42.6% 39.1% 39.8% 39.4% % 0% North County South County San Lorenzo Valley Overall Source: Applied Survey Research Santa Cruz Community Assessment Project, According to the 2001 California Department of Health Services report entitled Prevalence of Binge Drinking in California Counties, Santa Cruz County was the 6 th worst county in California for binge drinking among residents ages 18 to 34. In 2001, the rate of binge drinking (per 100 people) over the past month among Santa Cruz County adults ages 18 to 34 years was 33, as compared to a rate of 23 among California adults, 19 among Santa Clara County adults, and 16 among Monterey County adults of the same age. In each local county and in California as whole, adults ages 18 to 34 had higher rate of binge drinking as compared to the population of all adults. 22

29 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Figure 10: Rate of Adult Binge Drinking Prevalence in California Over the Past Month, 2001 Rate per Adults 18 to 34 years All Adults Santa Cruz County Monterey / San Benito County Santa Clara County California Source: State of California, Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, Binge Drinking Prevalence Among Adults in California, Note: Rate is per 100 county or state population. According to CHIS, adult men in Santa Cruz County had higher percentages of binge drinking than women. In 2003, 25% of men reported binge drinking in the past month as compared to 7% of women. Figure 11: Percent of Respondents Who Had 5 or More Drinks at One Time in the Past Month, Ages 18 and Older, 2001 and 2003 Male Female Latino Caucasian OVERALL 7.2% 27.9% 24.9% 13.6% 16.8% 19.0% 21.2% 14.9% 20.7% 16.1% Santa Cruz County Male 21.9% 21.8% Female Latino Caucasian 7.2% 6.7% 16.1% 15.9% 15.5% 14.9% California OVERALL 14.4% 14.1% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Percent Source: California Health Interview Survey, 2001 and

30 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Note: Binge drinkin g in the p ast month (5 or more drinks at one time) has these restrictions: Asked of all adults and adolescents except those who answered by proxy through another person. CHIS does not ask potentially sensitive questions of proxy respondents. Perception of Prevalence Cabrillo College students were asked how often they thought the average student used alcohol. The two highest responses were 1 to 3 times a week (68%) followed by 5 to 7 times a week (21%). There was little difference in responses due to the gender of the respondent. Figure 12: Cabrillo College Students Perceptions of Average Student Use of Alcohol, By Gender Percent 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 6.4% 3.4% 4.5% 5.4% 7.1% 6.2% 68.7% 67.9% 64.4% Male (n = 202) Female (n = 294) Total (N = 530) 23.8% 20.7% 21.3% 0-6 Times a Year 1-2 Times a Month 1-3 Times a Week 5-7 Times a Week Note: Total response bar includes college students who did not indicate their gender. Source: Cabrillo College Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, When UCSC students were asked in 2004 to report how many drinks they thought males typically consumed at a party, the most common responses were 5 to 6 drinks (29%), 7 to 8 drinks (24%), and 9+ drinks (29%). This means that 82% of the students thought that males typically binge at parties. Only 17% thought that males typically drank fewer than four drinks at a party. There was little difference in these results between 2003 and When UCSC students were asked in 2004 to report how many drinks they thought females typically consumed at a party, the most common responses were 3 to 4 drinks (35%), and 5 to 6 drinks (32%). Ten percent thought that females drank fewer than two drinks, and 23% thought that females typically drank more than seven drinks at a party. This means that more than half of the students thought that females typically binge drink at parties. There was little difference in these results between 2003 and

31 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Figure 13: How Many Drinks Do Males Typically Consume at a Party? 60% % Percent 29.4% 29.0% 28.7% 28.8% 29.0% 24.0% 20% 14.0% 10.0% 0% 0.6% 1.0% 2.0% 2.0% None 1-2 Drinks 3-4 Drinks 5-6 Drinks 7-8 Drinks 9+ Drinks 2003 N = 899; 2004 N = 433 Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and Figure 14: How Many Drinks Do Females Typically Consume at a Party? 60% Percent 40% 35.0% 31.3% 36.8% 32.0% 20% 7.0% 9.0% 13.9% 13.0% 9.6% 9.9% 0% 0.6% 1.0% None 1-2 Drinks 3-4 Drinks 5-6 Drinks 7-8 Drinks 9+ Drinks 2003 N = 899; 2004 N = 433 Source: California Safer Schools Survey, 2003 and In the CURB sponsored community forums (see methodology for description of forums), participants reported that binge drinking was common among youth and young adults and that for some individuals binge drinking was their customary way of drinking. In general, attendees reported that alcohol was not seen as being a drug and that 25

32 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County drinking carried little stigma. When asked what types of alcohol were most used, it was reported that hard liquor was preferred to beer or wine because it was more potent and brought deep intoxication more quickly (Community Forums, 2005). Within the youth focus groups sponsored by CURB, participants discussed the prevalence of binge drinking, as well as the community s perception of binge drinking among students. Participants reported that most people they knew engaged in binge drinking and their impression was that the majority of youth in their schools and community did so as well. However, participants from an alternative school discussed the perception that other people think they drank much more than they actually did. They reported that they drank less often than they did when they were at their regular schools: there s kind of an idea around this school that everyone here is just some f****d up kid that is doing drugs and drinking, but I drank so much more when I went to **** because there was so much more going on at **** that I didn t want to deal with it so.i d go to class wasted and go to sleep. But here.i can get something done as opposed to having to deal with all the stress and not wanting to do it all. Participants in the youth focus groups reported that young people drank a variety of alcohol products, including beer, but they most commonly drank hard liquor. Representative comments for this question include: and You get all your money together and you get the highest alcohol content you can get with the most for our money. You all just drink that until it s gone. If you re going to go to a house party and drink then you might get the hard liquor. Or if you just stay together randomly with a group of friends it s going to be like something you can get a lot of, like 40s (40 ounce bottle of beer). Overall, focus group participants reported that young people drank for fun and entertainment. Some young people from Watsonville reported that young people drank because they were bored, but youth from other areas of the county specifically stated that the issue was not that people drank because they were bored, because Santa Cruz was not that boring. They stated that the issue was more that people were lazy and: it s like an easy way to have fun and like there s thrill in it and people in masses can do it all together. People like doing it because we re not allowed to. it s fun because no matter what you re doing, you re having fun. 26

33 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Participants across groups stated that although the primary reason why young people drank is for fun, they did know of a few people who drank to deal with depression and escape from problems. In addition, participants across groups reported that they believed that both males and females used drinking as a way to not be responsible for risky sexual behavior. They stated that young people of both genders pretended to be more intoxicated than they actually were so they could blame their behavior on alcohol (Youth Focus Groups, 2005). 27

34 Binge Drinking in Santa Cruz County Where Are Youth Accessing and Drinking Alcohol? Summary of Key Findings on Access Eighty percent of high school juniors in both Santa Cruz County and California reported that alcohol was fairly or very easy to access. UCSC students were asked where they could easily or very easily obtain alcohol without showing ID. In 2004, they indicated that the top source was Friend or Acquaintance (83%). Nineteen percent of UCSC students in 2004 reported that they had purchased alcohol for their friends, up from 16% in Participants of the community forums and focus groups indicated that many parents allow underage drinking to occur and at times provide the alcohol under their supervision. Cabrillo College students cited parties as the location where they most often used alcohol (60%). UCSC students also cited private parties as the location where alcohol is most often consumed (75%). Participants in two of the youth focus groups reported that it was fairly common for young people to drink at school. Alcohol Outlets The number of alcohol outlets available to a community directly impacts increased access, inability to monitor and limit youth access, and normalcy of alcohol use. Over the past five years the number of outlets per 1,000 people has not changed in Santa Cruz County. It is important to note that the number of outlets per 1,000 people is consistently higher in Santa Cruz County than California as a whole. According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), from 2001 to 2003, the number of liquor law violations for packages stores and bars or nightclubs has increased slightly from 10 (4%) in 2001 to 18 (7%) in Figure 15: Number of Alcohol Outlets per 1,000 People Wholesale and Retail Alcohol Outlets - County Wholesale and Retail Alcohol Outlets - State ,216 71,696 66, ,526 68,073 Outlets per 1,0 00 People - C o unty