QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF TRAINING-PROGRAMS FOR ALCOHOL SERVERS AND ESTABLISHMENT MANAGERS

Objective. In an attempt to reduce the societal burden associated with alcohol-related problems such as underage drinking and drunk driving, some local communities and state governments mandate training program s for employees of establishments that serve or sell alcoholic beverag es. This study was designed to assess the available training programs for employees and managers and to identify slates that either mandate training programs or encourage them by reducing establishments' legal liability. Methods. Training programs were identified through the Inte rnet, key informants, and the research literature. Three researchers i ndependently rated each of 22 local and national programs across 10 ca tegories. In addition, the authors surveyed alcoholic beverage control agencies and legislative research bureaus in the 50 U.S. states. Resu lts. The results show that training programs are not standardized and vary widely in content, use of behavior change methods, and production quality. Most programs targeted waitstaff and bartenders. Only one pr ogram exclusively targeted owners and managers. Conclusions. National standards must be developed for training programs for servers, manager s, and owners.