Niyousha Hosseinichimeh1, Rod MacDonald2, Kaigang Li3, James C Fell4, Denise L Haynie5, Bruce Simons-Morton5, Barbara C Banz6, Deepa R Camenga6, Ronald J Iannotti7, Leslie A Curry8, James Dziura9, Linda C Mayes10, David F Andersen11, Federico E Vaca12. 1. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, USA. Electronic address: niyousha@vt.edu. 2. School of Integrated Sciences, James Madison University, USA. 3. Department of Health & Exercise Science, Colorado State University, USA. 4. NORC at the University of Chicago, USA. 5. Division of Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, USA. 6. Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, USA; Yale Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center (DrivSim Lab), Yale School of Medicine, USA. 7. The CDM Group, Inc, USA. 8. Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, USA. 9. Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, USA. 10. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, USA. 11. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany-SUNY, USA. 12. Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, USA; Yale Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center (DrivSim Lab), Yale School of Medicine, USA; Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The proportion of motor vehicle crash fatalities involving alcohol-impaired drivers declined substantially between 1982 and 1997, but progress stopped after 1997. The systemic complexity of alcohol-impaired driving contributes to the persistence of this problem. This study aims to identify and map key feedback mechanisms that affect alcohol-impaired driving among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. METHODS: We apply the system dynamics approach to the problem of alcohol-impaired driving and bring a feedback perspective for understanding drivers and inhibitors of the problem. The causal loop diagram (i.e., map of dynamic hypotheses about the structure of the system producing observed behaviors over time) developed in this study is based on the output of two group model building sessions conducted with multidisciplinary subject-matter experts bolstered with extensive literature review. RESULTS: The causal loop diagram depicts diverse influences on youth impaired driving including parents, peers, policies, law enforcement, and the alcohol industry. Embedded in these feedback loops are the physical flow of youth between the categories of abstainers, drinkers who do not drive after drinking, and drinkers who drive after drinking. We identify key inertial factors, discuss how delay and feedback processes affect observed behaviors over time, and suggest strategies to reduce youth impaired driving. CONCLUSION: This review presents the first causal loop diagram of alcohol-impaired driving among adolescents and it is a vital first step toward quantitative simulation modeling of the problem. Through continued research, this model could provide a powerful tool for understanding the systemic complexity of impaired driving among adolescents, and identifying effective prevention practices and policies to reduce youth impaired driving.
BACKGROUND: The proportion of motor vehicle crash fatalities involving alcohol-impaired drivers declined substantially between 1982 and 1997, but progress stopped after 1997. The systemic complexity of alcohol-impaired driving contributes to the persistence of this problem. This study aims to identify and map key feedback mechanisms that affect alcohol-impaired driving among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. METHODS: We apply the system dynamics approach to the problem of alcohol-impaired driving and bring a feedback perspective for understanding drivers and inhibitors of the problem. The causal loop diagram (i.e., map of dynamic hypotheses about the structure of the system producing observed behaviors over time) developed in this study is based on the output of two group model building sessions conducted with multidisciplinary subject-matter experts bolstered with extensive literature review. RESULTS: The causal loop diagram depicts diverse influences on youth impaired driving including parents, peers, policies, law enforcement, and the alcohol industry. Embedded in these feedback loops are the physical flow of youth between the categories of abstainers, drinkers who do not drive after drinking, and drinkers who drive after drinking. We identify key inertial factors, discuss how delay and feedback processes affect observed behaviors over time, and suggest strategies to reduce youth impaired driving. CONCLUSION: This review presents the first causal loop diagram of alcohol-impaired driving among adolescents and it is a vital first step toward quantitative simulation modeling of the problem. Through continued research, this model could provide a powerful tool for understanding the systemic complexity of impaired driving among adolescents, and identifying effective prevention practices and policies to reduce youth impaired driving.
Authors: Scott E Hadland; Ziming Xuan; Vishnudas Sarda; Jason Blanchette; Monica H Swahn; Timothy C Heeren; Robert B Voas; Timothy S Naimi Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2017-02-13 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Federico E Vaca; Kaigang Li; Jeremy W Luk; Ralph W Hingson; Denise L Haynie; Bruce G Simons-Morton Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2020-01-06 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Brenda L Curtis; Samantha J Lookatch; Danielle E Ramo; James R McKay; Richard S Feinn; Henry R Kranzler Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2018-05-22 Impact factor: 3.455