Counter Tools, in partnership with researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), is excited to announce our upcoming Retail Alcohol Data (RAD) Collaborative.
The RAD Collaborative is for community coalitions, local or state alcohol policy alliances, local or state health departments, and other groups who want to better understand the availability, pricing, and marketing of alcoholic beverages that are especially dangerous and/or appeal to young people. The purpose of the RAD Collaborative is to equip participants with local data to support pricing and other policy strategies that reduce alcohol-related harms. The RAD Collaborative is designed to make alcohol data collection as simple and straightforward as possible for participants. Our team is here to reduce the analytical burden by providing the tools, project management, and analysis needed to address the alcohol retail environment.
Project Details: As part of this cohort, selected participants will receive free training and technical support to collect data in alcohol outlets across their community. Using a standardized survey, participants will gain insight into the price and availability of risky alcohol products, and how this pricing and availability may vary across their community. During the project period, participants will have access to Counter Tools’ proprietary software tool, POST Survey, specifically designed for data collection in the retail environment. The University of North Texas Health Science Center will provide basic statistical analyses for data collected during the project period, to help empower communities to advocate for related policy changes. In addition to helping directly support state and local advocacy efforts, data collected from RAD participants will be used to examine geographic inequities, estimate the impact of various pricing laws, and help support alcohol advocacy nationwide.
In order to successfully participate in this cohort, participants will be expected to:
- Establish a team of at least four data collectors (coalition or policy alliance members, health department staff, students, interns, etc) to conduct store assessments;
- Provide a list of licensed alcohol retailers within your city, state, or region of interest (strongly preferred, but not required);
- Complete the alcohol survey at a minimum of 50 alcohol outlets between January 10 and February 28, 2025;
- Participate in two web-based trainings (January 9 and April 14, 2025)
- Participate in up to five optional technical assistance check-ins to support your goals;
- Plan and organize team capacity (i.e., staff or coalition time, interns) to complete required data collection;
- Allow data access to University of North Texas Health Science Center researchers for analysis and possible future publication
Important Dates:
- Application opens: August 26, 2024
- Application closes: October 28, 2024
- Teams notified of acceptance and next steps: October 30, 2024
- Planning, technical assistance & logistical support: November-December 2024
- Conducting Store Assessments Kick-off Training: January 9, 2025 (2 PM EST)
- Data collection period: January 10-February 28, 2025
- Data cleaning & analysis completed by UNTHSC researchers: March 1-31, 2025
- Culminating Training: April 14, 2025 (2 PM EST)
If you would like to take part in this exciting opportunity, please complete the Application Form by 5 PM EST October 28, 2024. You will only need to complete one application per team, so please coordinate with other team members before submitting.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Maria Julian, Counter Tools Executive Director, at [email protected].
About Counter Tools:
Counter Tools is a 501(c)(3) public health consulting organization that aims to promote health equity by reducing the detrimental impact of unhealthy substances at the consumer’s primary point of contact: the retail environment. Since our founding in 2012, our team of experts has helped communities across the country — in over 30 states and counting — enact meaningful policy change by providing reliable technology, accessible data analytics, and full-spectrum, tailored support. We serve as your dedicated partner and guide throughout the entire policy change process — from planning and implementation to enforcement and evaluation.
About the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s School of Public Health: We are a socially accountable, community-centered, and globally relevant School of Public Health dedicated to the prevention of disease and harm, elimination of health disparities, and the promotion of health and equity at home and around the world.
