Effects of the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project on rates of child abuse and neglect 7 years post‐implementation (1999–2010)

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionEvaluations of alcohol environmental prevention efforts examine short‐term effects of these interventions on alcohol‐related problems. We examine whether the effects of the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project (SNAPP), an alcohol environmental intervention aimed to reduce alcohol‐related problems in two neighbourhoods, on child abuse and neglect remained 7 years post‐implementation.MethodsSNAPP used a quasi‐experimental non‐equivalent control group design, where intervention activities occurred in the South area, followed by those in the North area 2 years later. Our sample size is 3912 space–time units (326 census block groups × 12 years [1999–2010]). Outcomes were measured at the household level and included: (i) all foster care entries total; and (ii) the subset of foster care entries that were alcohol related. Data were analysed using Bayesian conditionally autoregressive space–time models.ResultsWe find that the decreases in total (relative rate [RR] = 0.882, 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.795, 0.980) and alcohol‐related (RR = 0.888, 95% CrI 0.791, 0.997) foster care entries remain in the North intervention area although the magnitude of those changes are smaller than immediately post‐intervention. Increases found in alcohol‐related foster care entries in the South area immediately post‐intervention were not significant 7 years later (RR = 1.128, 95% CrI 0.975, 1.307).Discussion and ConclusionsReductions in child abuse and neglect due to an alcohol environmental intervention can be maintained. Environmental interventions that provide community‐level primary prevention strategies could be more easily sustained and more cost effective than individual‐level interventions, although more research is needed to identify why interventions may be successful in specific contexts and not others.