Underage Drinking Needs Assessment

 Located in the southwestern coastal plains of South Carolina.  It is a rural county bordered by the Edisto and Salkehatchie Rivers.  It is the third smallest geographical county in the state with 396 total square miles.  Bamberg County has 5 small cities and towns – Bamberg, Denmark, Ehrhardt, Govan and Olar.  Population has declined from a total of 16,658 people in 2000 to 15,182 people in  It has a predominant racial makeup of 36% White and 63% Black or African American compared to the state’s racial makeup of 77% White and 13% Black or African American.  There are 2,951 students in the two public school districts located in Bamberg County. Within these two districts, there are 8 public schools; 3 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and two high schools.

A Tale of Two Cities DifferencesBambergDenmark Demographics45% White 54% Black/African American 13% White 86% Black/African American School District RatingsExcellentAverage School Population1,422 Students725 Students NotablesGov. Niki Haley A.J. Cann Jim Harrison, Artist Bakari Sellers Institutes of Higher Learning02 Of InterestCounty SeatAmtrak Station Similarities Alcohol Outlet Density15 Outlets Within 3.8 Miles12 Outlets Within 3.6 Miles

 Key informants from Bamberg County identified alcohol as the primary drug to be addressed.  Through consistent alcohol compliance checks, youth access to alcohol through retail establishments has significantly decreased from 35% in 2007 to around 4% in 2015 in Bamberg County. However, the issue of underage drinking remains a problem due to other avenues of access and the perception of favorable adult attitudes.

 Archival Data 2010 Communities that Care Survey AET Alcohol Compliance Check Annual Data  Key Informant Interviews Law Enforcement School Personnel Health Agency Representatives Government Officials  Youth Focus Groups Local High School-Age Youth Local Middle School-Age Youth  Community Surveys Voorhees College Campus

2010 COMMUNITIES THAT CARE SURVEY CategoryBamberg CountySouth Carolina Lifetime Alcohol Use60%61% Age of First Use, 9 th Grade and Under34%38% Drinking Regularly, 9 th Grade and Under 21% 17% 30 Day Use30%35% Drove After Drinking/Rode With a Drunk Driver 43% 39% Binge Drinking18%21% Ease of Access (Felt it was easy to get)60% Felt They Wouldn’t Get Caught By Parents 68% 56% Parents Wouldn’t Disapprove of Regular Use 27% 19% Neighborhood Adults Wouldn’t Disapprove 49% 34% Older Brothers or Sisters Who Drink 66% 52% Source of AlcoholBamberg CountySouth Carolina Bought It In a Store 12% 6% Gave Someone Money25%30% Took It From a Store or Family Member 19% 14% Asked a Stranger1%2%

 50% of youth participants felt that alcohol is a big problem in the county.  50% of youth felt that community adults wouldn’t care if they drank.  Youth participants indicated that alcohol is obtained in neighboring counties.  Youth participants indicated older youth purchase the alcohol for the younger youth often being paid incentives.  100% of law enforcement felt that alcohol use, underage drinking and drinking and driving were issues for Bamberg County.  100% of school personnel felt that alcohol use and drinking and driving were issues in Bamberg County. 80% felt that underage drinking was an issue.

 36% of adult participants felt there were parents who allowed underage drinking. These participants had seen or read about incidents, had personal knowledge of it and/or felt that it was easier to get these days. Several participants indicated a lack of knowledge based on their social circle that did not include permissive parents.  82% of campus respondents felt that alcohol was an issue on campus.  21% of campus respondents had driven drunk.  48% of campus respondents had ridden with a drunk driver.  33% of campus respondents felt that it wasn’t wrong to provide alcohol to someone under the age of 21.

 Easy Retail Access  Easy Social Access  Social Norms Accepting and/or Encouraging Use  Laws and Ordinances Strictly Enforced  Knowledge Regarding Risks Associated with Underage Drinking  Perception of Harm  Clear Expectations and Limits

 Community Support Inconsistent Enforcement of Rules Uniform Referral Policies Parental Attitudes  Political Will Case Settlement Limited Imagination Opinions Intensity Saliency  Capacity Personnel Geography Resources  Data Gaps Parents Hot Spot Identification Consistent Source of Youth Data Judicial

Based on the limited accumulated data and community input, a portrait of the underage alcohol issue in Bamberg County is emerging. Through consistent alcohol compliance checks, youth retail access to alcohol has significantly decreased. However, youth are still getting alcohol. The youth focus groups support the CTC’s data that suggests that access is coming through older adults. Area youth indicated a willingness among parents and older adults to provide alcohol to minors. Two local college campuses may be a contributing factor with 21 year olds partying with high school students. The two largest communties in Bamberg County have a large number of alcohol outlets within a small geographic area. Some ideas for addressing these issues are listed below:  Continued Alcohol Compliance Checks  Expanding Shoulder Tap Operations  Increasing Identification of Underage Parties  Increasing Party Dispersals  Increasing Media Campaigns  Targeted Information Dissemination  Targeted Law Enforcement Checkpoints  City Ordinances

Thanks to all those community organizations and individuals who have provided input and/or assistance in gathering community information and data. A special thanks to Beulah Hand, a long-time resident of Bamberg County, for all of her help.