<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0016_s_006"><h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Alcohol consumption among young people is strongly related to alcohol availability. The minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age (MLDA) is a legal measure that regulates alcohol availability to minors in Slovenia. This study examines (1) retailers’ compliance with the MLDA law in Slovenia and (2) the effectiveness of two interventions directed at cashiers in off-premise stores.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0016_s_007"><h3>Methods</h3>
<p>The study uses a non-randomized quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of (1) a communication intervention directed at off-premise store managers, and (2) an intervention by the Slovene Market Inspectorate. The first intervention focused on informing cashiers about MLDA’s importance and their role as gatekeepers of young people’s health, while the second involved law enforcement. Using the mystery shopping protocol, we conducted two waves of purchase attempts with decoy underage shoppers pre- and post-intervention in 97 off-premise stores. We collected data on the shopping process at the point of sale and conducted 40 semistructured interviews with cashiers to evaluate the barriers and incentives regarding MLDA compliance.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0016_s_008"><h3>Results</h3>
<p>Retailers’ initial noncompliance rate with MLDA in off-premise stores was high, but improved significantly after the law enforcement intervention. We identified a significant correlation between the cashiers’ ID requests and the refusal of alcohol sales, but cashiers’ ID requests remained low. Qualitative findings reveal that cashiers experience several issues when handling MLDA in practice.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0016_s_009"><h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Noncompliance with MLDA persisted even after the law enforcement intervention, revealing the need for policy makers to introduce new strategies for MLDA enforcement, such as revocable alcohol licenses for off-premise stores.</p></sec></abstract>

Introduction
Alcohol consumption among young people is strongly related to alcohol availability. The minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age (MLDA) is a legal measure that regulates alcohol availability to minors in Slovenia. This study examines (1) retailers’ compliance with the MLDA law in Slovenia and (2) the effectiveness of two interventions directed at cashiers in off-premise stores.
Methods
The study uses a non-randomized quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of (1) a communication intervention directed at off-premise store managers, and (2) an intervention by the Slovene Market Inspectorate. The first intervention focused on informing cashiers about MLDA’s importance and their role as gatekeepers of young people’s health, while the second involved law enforcement. Using the mystery shopping protocol, we conducted two waves of purchase attempts with decoy underage shoppers pre- and post-intervention in 97 off-premise stores. We collected data on the shopping process at the point of sale and conducted 40 semistructured interviews with cashiers to evaluate the barriers and incentives regarding MLDA compliance.
Results
Retailers’ initial noncompliance rate with MLDA in off-premise stores was high, but improved significantly after the law enforcement intervention. We identified a significant correlation between the cashiers’ ID requests and the refusal of alcohol sales, but cashiers’ ID requests remained low. Qualitative findings reveal that cashiers experience several issues when handling MLDA in practice.
Conclusion
Noncompliance with MLDA persisted even after the law enforcement intervention, revealing the need for policy makers to introduce new strategies for MLDA enforcement, such as revocable alcohol licenses for off-premise stores.

An examination of retailers’ compliance with the minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age law in Slovenia: A quasi-experimental intervention study

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Preverjanje spoštovanja zakona o omejevanju porabe alkohola v Sloveniji: Kvazieksperimentalna intervencijska raziskava

Introduction
Alcohol consumption among young people is strongly related to alcohol availability. The minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age (MLDA) is a legal...

An examination of retailers’ compliance with the minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age law in Slovenia: A quasi-experimental intervention study

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 18, 2021

Page range: 105 - 113

Received: Oct 15, 2020

Accepted: Feb 01, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2021-0016

Keywords
alcohol availability, mystery shopping, youth, MLDA, law enforcement, interventions, retailer compliance

© 2021 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

An examination of retailers’ compliance with the minimum legal drinking (purchasing) age law in Slovenia: A quasi-experimental intervention study

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 18, 2021

Page range: 105 - 113

Received: Oct 15, 2020

Accepted: Feb 01, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2021-0016

Keywordsalcohol availability, mystery shopping, youth, MLDA, law enforcement, interventions, retailer compliance

© 2021 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
alcohol availability, mystery shopping, youth, MLDA, law enforcement, interventions, retailer compliance