Science to Practice: Developing and testing a marketing strategy for preventing alcohol-related problems in college communities

Principal Investigator: Bob Saltz
Sponsor: CDC
(9/10/2009 - 9/9/2014)

Proposal Abstract
The objective of this project is to systematically develop and test a strategy to market a comprehensive, community environmental prevention program, the "Safer California Universities Project," that has demonstrated efficacy in reducing intoxication and alcohol-impaired driving among college students. The "Safer Universities" project combines alcohol management policies and enforcement with a publicity campaign targeting student drinking at private parties in homes and apartments (including fraternity and sorority houses) in the college community. The proposed approach for developing and testing the market strategy is broadly based on work by the CDC, the NIH and health communication theorists such and Maibach and Bloodgood (2006) who argue persuasively on behalf of using a marketing approach to move an evidence-based strategy to adoption by a wide audience.