NCJ Number
218391
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 114-124
Date Published
May 2007
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether changes in the number of alcohol outlets (alcohol-serving bars and restaurants and off-premise outlets) during 6 years (1998-2003) in 579 California zip codes were related to child maltreatment referrals, substantiations, and foster care entries, while controlling for demographic characteristics of the neighborhood.
Abstract
Findings indicate that reductions in the number of alcohol outlets per zip code, particularly off-premise outlets, may result in lower rates of child maltreatment. Increases in off-premise alcohol beverage outlets in local zip code areas were related to increases in rates of child maltreatment. The number of bars in local and adjacent areas was positively related to rates of child entry into foster care. An average decrease of 1 off-premise outlet would reduce referrals to child protection services by 1,040 cases, substantiations by 180 cases, and foster care entries by 93 cases. An average reduction of 1 bar across all units would decrease foster care entries by 153 across all 579 zip codes. These findings suggest that community and economic development actions, such as regulating alcohol-outlet densities or reducing the number of available alcohol licenses, may be a viable intervention approach for reducing child maltreatment. Data on child maltreatment variables were obtained from a statewide database on child-welfare referrals and placements. All types of allegations of child maltreatment were included in this study. Data on the locations of alcohol outlets were obtained from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage control for each of the 6 years. Data on demographic control variables for each zip code were obtained from Sourcebook America's annual estimates for each of the 6 years. 3 tables and 50 references