Although the use of publicity campaigns in community prevention to reduce driving while intoxicated (DWI), either alone or in combination with other program elements, is common, studies of exposure to these campaigns are relatively rare. This is due in part to the cost and difficulty of collecting data about exposure from the target population (Flay and Cook, 1989). This paper presents findings from a 5-year NIAAA-funded study of alternative transportation as a means of reducing DWI. This prevention program used a publicity campaign that encouraged adults to serve as designated drivers (DDs), and to use DDs and safe rides (free taxi rides for drinking drivers) as alternatives to DWI and to riding with intoxicated drivers (RID). Data from a telephone survey of a representative sample of drinkers address four critical questions about community-based publicity campaigns to prevent DWI. First, what proportion of the target population did the campaign reach and at what cost? Second, which segments of the population, as defined by demographic and by drinking variables (e.g., frequency of barroom drinking), were reached? Third, to what extent did the campaign reach drinkers at high-risk for DWI? Fourth, which publicity methods reached the greatest proportion of the target population? Study findings can guide the design of future publicity efforts to reduce DWI, and may help in designing campaigns to address other risk behaviours.
Abstract