HEADS UP! A nested intervention with freshmen male college students and the broader campus community to promote responsible drinking

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism developed several guidelines for effective interventions in dealing with problematic college student drinking, including targeted individual interventions paired with broader campus community involvement. The project Heads UP! combines these suggestions in an effort to intervene with high-risk first-year male college students. The objective of the program is to reduce campus alcohol-related negative events and prevent these high-risk students from developing dangerous drinking patterns throughout college. The project provides an environment that supports students in actively following the goals outlined by the intervention, and it actively impacts the overall campus by helping students make responsible drinking decisions. Promising results are forthcoming, and the authors encourage other universities to design and adopt similar campus-supported programs nested within the broader campus community that target high-risk populations on campus.     

Fear,Shame, and Health Promotion

Abstract

Drinking games are associated with excess alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, yet it is unclear whether they are unique to the college environment or whether students come to college familiar with such games. The authors queried 1,252 students attending voluntary summer orientation programs about their experiences with drinking games. A majority (63%) indicated they had played drinking games and viewed them as a means to get drunk quickly and to socialize, control others, or get someone else drunk. Logistic regression analyses revealed that familiarity with drinking situations was associated with a greater likelihood of playing drinking games. Students who reported drinking more frequently and consuming greater quantities of alcohol than others, having lifetime marijuana use, and initiating alcohol consumption between the ages of 14 and 16 years were significantly more likely to have participated in drinking games. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering students' participation in drinking games when campus officials address alcohol use.     

Perceptions of Drinking and Related Findings From the Nationwide Campuses Study

Abstract

Proponents of social norms approaches maintain that correcting misperceptions of alcohol use among college students may reduce drinking and its consequences. The author used aggregate campus-level data from the Nationwide Campuses Study to test this hypothesis. He defined the misperceptions ratio as the ratio of the frequency of the “average student's” perceived alcohol use to the frequency of self-use at each campus. Each of the 57 colleges reported misperceptions ratios greater than unity. At campuses where students had more accurate perceptions of alcohol use, students were more likely to desire alcohol availability at campus events and to drink on more days throughout the year than at campuses where students had greater misperceptions of alcohol use. The author found no data to support the preferential use of social norms programming on campuses with high levels of self-reported alcohol use or binge drinking. These findings raise questions about potentially unexpected and unintended effects of social norms approaches.     

Toward Understanding the Adjustment Problems of Foreign Families in the College Community: The Case of Japanese Wives at the Harvard University Health Services

Abstract

Four hundred fifty-six undergraduates at a Scottish university completed the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, an instrument widely used in the United States to examine the nature, scope, and consequences of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses. The Scottish students were found to drink more frequently, consume more alcohol, and engage in binge drinking more often than their American counterparts. The Scottish students also demonstrated higher rates of hangovers, missed classes, and blackouts than the Americans, but the percentage of American students who had driven while intoxicated was greater than that of the Scots. Focus groups of students in Scotland and interviews with student affairs personnel and local officials indicated that student drinking is not generally viewed as a problem because extensive alcohol use appears to be part of Scottish culture and is readily accepted. Students reported that their drinking, other than in pubs, was spread out over time and was associated with eating and social activities. At student social events where alcohol was served, there was little evidence of loud, inappropriate, aggressive, or otherwise rowdy behavior; drinking appeared to be handled in a more controlled, safe, and responsible way than among US college students.     

The Problem of Alcohol Advertisements in College Newspapers

Abstract

In a sample of college newspapers, alcohol advertisements made up approximately one-half of all national advertising. Most of these were for beer. In addition, most of the papers also carried local “on sale” alcohol ads. Ads for soft drinks and for books were far less prominent in the sample. Numerous beer ads contained a philosophy inimical to the aims of college education. Study, learning, science, campus organizations, graduation, and even education itself were ridiculed, and beer drinking was substituted for them. These appeals were considered in relation to studies of drinking problems on campus and peer pressures on students to join in the drinking. Campus efforts toward alcohol education were reviewed and outstanding programs singled out. It was suggested that students, faculty, and staff discuss the problem and seek some resolution.     

Peer,social media,and alcohol marketing influences on college student drinking

Objective: To investigate how alcohol marketing and peers may promote college students' alcohol use through social media. Participants: College students (N = 682) aged 18 to 22 years from a large Southern university completed paper surveys in April 2014. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to investigate relationships among variables as well as moderation by gender and race. Results: Drinking behavior was directly related to perceived norms and attitudes toward alcohol that develop, in part, from direct and indirect interactions with their online and offline peers, as well as engagement with alcohol-related content on social media. Gender and ethnicity moderated some effects. Conclusions: College student drinking is influenced by friends' alcohol-related content posted on social networking sites and by greater engagement with traditional and online alcohol marketing. College campus alcohol misuse interventions should include components to counter peer influences and alcohol marketing on social media.     

Binge Drinking During the First Semester of College: Continuation and Desistance From High School Patterns

Abstract

Students' first semester on campus may set the stage for their alcohol use/misuse throughout college. The authors surveyed 274 randomly sampled first-semester freshmen at a large southwestern university on their past 2 weeks' binge drinking, their high school binge drinking, and psychosocial factors possibly associated with drinking. They conducted separate analyses among high school nonbinge drinkers (testing for predictors of college binge onset vs continued nonbinge drinking) and high school binge drinkers (testing for predictors of continued binge drinking in college vs desistance from drinking). In both analyses, the variables that predicted college binge drinking largely revolved around gregarious socializing (eg, partying, having a social network of individuals who drank relatively heavily). Gender was predictive only among high school nonbinge drinkers; women had a higher probability than did men of adopting binge drinking in college.     

A Study of Alcohol Use by Designated Drivers Among College Students

Abstract

Objective: College students tend to drink while serving as a designated driver (DD). The predictors of alcohol use by DDs among college students were examined. Participants: Participants were 119 undergraduate students in introductory psychology courses who had experience with DD use. Methods: Survey data were analyzed to examine the predictors of planning components of DD use, such as choosing a DD before drinking and choosing an abstinent DD, and the relations of these components to alcohol use by DDs. Results: History of DD use, friends’ willingness to be the DD, frequency of riding with a driver who drank and drove, and age of drinking onset were associated with planning components of DD use. Among the planning components of DD use, choosing a DD before drinking was significantly related to less alcohol use by DDs. Conclusions: Increasing awareness of the planning components of DD use could deter alcohol use by DDs among college students.     

The Efficacy of the Social Norms Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Applied to Fraternity Men

Abstract

Students tend to overestimate the amount of alcohol consumed among their peers and often drink to that imaginary level. The social norms strategy, designed to correct norm misperceptions, has been correlated with a decrease in reported consumption in the general college population. However, it has had little or no impact among Greek students, the group that consumes the most alcohol. The authors investigated and subsequently found three possible flaws in the application of the social norms strategy that may account for the failure to decrease binge drinking among fraternity men: there is no predominant, healthy drinking norm in this population; students are influenced more by people within their network(s) than by others; and binge drinking is the norm in this group and may serve to perpetuate the problem. The findings, though preliminary, provide the first step in developing interventions beyond the social norms approach to address binge drinking among fraternity men.     

Binge drinking in and out of college: An examination of social control and differential association on binge drinking behaviors between college students and their non-college peers

ABSTRACT

Excessive drinking behavior is a common problem on college campuses but it also affects the same age group that does not attend college. This is a sociological concern because of the multitude of negative consequences associated with binge drinking. The role of peers and social control factors, including the revised routine activities approach to involvement was used to examine what factors influence alcohol consumption. Although there are differences between the drinking behavior of both groups, peer behavior was consistently the strongest predictor of individual drinking behavior for both college and non-college students. Both groups are at risk for experiencing the negative consequences of alcohol use and reduction efforts need to target peer groups.     

Results of a Social Norm Intervention to Prevent Binge Drinking Among First-year Residential College Students

Abstract

The effects of a primary prevention social norm intervention on binge drinking among 1st-year residential college students were examined. Six hundred thirty-four students attending a medium-sized public university in the South were randomly assigned to receive a two-phase social norm intervention or the standard campus psychoeducational prevention program. At posttest, no differences were found between intervention and control group students on any of the alcohol use and alcohol-use risk factor measures. Significant subgroup differences were found by stage of initiating binge drinking behaviors, for frequency of alcohol use, F(3, 507) = 3.69, p = .01; quantity of alcohol use, F(3, 507) = 2.51, p = .05; and social norms, F(3, 505) = 2.53, p = .05. These findings suggest the need for tailoring social norm binge drinking interventions to students' stage of initiating heavy drinking and carefully monitoring for potential negative, as well as positive, effects of norm-based prevention messages.     

The Effect of Religiosity and Campus Alcohol Culture on Collegiate Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

Religiosity and campus culture were examined in relationship to alcohol consumption among college students using reference group theory. Participants and Methods: College students (N = 530) at a religious college and at a state university complete questionnaires on alcohol use and religiosity. Statistical tests and logistic regression were utilized to examine alcohol use, religiosity, and campus environment. Results: Alcohol consumption was significantly higher among students at the university (M = 26.9 drinks) versus students at the religious college (M = 11.9 drinks). University students also had lower religiosity scores (M = 23.8) than students at the religious college (M = 26.5). Students who attend a secular university are 4 times more likely to be moderate or heavy drinkers compared to students attending a religiously affiliated college. Students with the least religiosity were 27 times more likely to be a heavy alcohol user and 9 times more likely to be a moderate alcohol user compared to students with greater religiosity.     

Trends in College Binge Drinking During a Period of Increased Prevention Efforts: Findings from 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993–2001

Abstract

The 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed students at 119 4-year colleges that participated in the 1993, 1997, and 1999 studies. Responses in the 4 survey years were compared to determine trends in heavy alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and encounters with college and community prevention efforts. In 2001, approximately 2 in 5 (44.4%) college students reported binge drinking, a rate almost identical to rates in the previous 3 surveys. Very little change in overall binge drinking occurred at the individual college level. The percentages of abstainers and frequent binge drinkers increased, a polarization of drinking behavior first noted in 1997. A sharp rise in frequent binge drinking was noted among students attending all-women's colleges. Other significant changes included increases in immoderate drinking and harm among drinkers. More students lived in substance-free housing and encountered college educational efforts and sanctions resulting from their alcohol use.     

In Praise of Feedback: An Effective Intervention for College Students Who Are Heavy Drinkers

Abstract

The efficacy of brief motivational feedback to reduce drinking among college students has been reported by several researchers. As an extension of this theoretical and applied framework, the author tested the use of mailed feedback to influence the drinking behavior of students self-identified as moderate-to-heavy drinkers in two randomized trials. A 6-week follow-up of the efforts suggested the efficacy of the feedback intervention at reducing alcohol consumption. The feedback mechanism used in the studies is described in detail and possible reasons for its efficacy are explored. In light of the cost-effective nature of this intervention, it may warrant a place in larger campus prevention programs.     

What Colleges Are Doing About Student Binge Drinking A Survey of College Administrators

Abstract

In 1999, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed 734 US college administrators to learn what colleges were doing to prevent binge drinking. Respondents rated the severity of student alcohol-abuse problems and described prevention efforts and institutional investments in prevention infrastructure. Prevention practices were widespread in the areas of general education about alcohol, use of policy controls to limit access to alcohol, restricting advertising at home-game sporting events, and allocation of living space to alcohol-free dormitories. Programming was less prevalent for more targeted alcohol education, outreach, and restrictions on alcohol advertising in campus media. Nationally, most of the surveyed colleges reported having a campus alcohol specialist, many had task forces, and about half were performing in-house data collection. Less common were program evaluations, community agreements, or neighborhood exchanges. Prevention practices varied with institutional characteristics and the surveyed administrators' perceptions of the severity of alcohol problems.     

The Slope of Change: An Environmental Management Approach to Reduce Drinking on a Day of Celebration at a US College

Abstract

Objective: This research extends the literature on event-specific environmental management with a case study evaluation of an intervention designed to reduce student drinking at a university's year-end celebration. Participants: Cornell University undergraduates were surveyed each May from 2001 through 2009. Sample sizes ranged from 322 to 1,973. Methods: Randomly sampled surveys were conducted after a large, annual spring campus celebration. An environmental management plan was initiated in 2003 that included increased enforcement of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law. Results: In the short term, drinking at the campus celebration decreased while drinking before the event increased. Over time, the intervention significantly reduced high-risk drinking on the day of the event, especially among those under the age of 21. Conclusion: These findings are contrary to the argument that enforcement of MLDA laws simply leads to increased high-risk drinking, and therefore have implications for how colleges approach the challenge of student alcohol misuse.     

The Culture of High-Risk Alcohol Use Among Club and Intramural Athletes

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the drinking patterns of club and intramural college athletes and compare their alcohol consumption, perceived norms around the excessive use of alcohol, experience of negative consequences, and employment of protective strategies with those of campus varsity athletes. Participants: A total of 442 undergraduate students attending a private, suburban institution in the Northeast participated in the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment-II Web survey in spring 2011. Thirty-five students identified themselves as varsity athletes, 76 identified as club sport athletes, and 196 students identified themselves as intramural athletes. Methods: Survey responses were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The Pearson's correlation coefficient and test for independence were applied to identify significant relationships between athlete status and identified variables related to alcohol use. Results: Results indicated that there were significant correlations between athlete status and all variables, to varying degrees. Conclusions: These findings have implications for campus health promotion professionals and athletics program coordinators seeking to address high-risk alcohol use among college athletes.     

Self-reported drinking-game participation of incoming college students

Drinking games are associated with excess alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, yet it is unclear whether they are unique to the college environment or whether students come to college familiar with such games. The authors queried 1,252 students attending voluntary summer orientation programs about their experiences with drinking games. A majority (63%) indicated they had played drinking games and viewed them as a means to get drunk quickly and to socialize, control others, or get someone else drunk. Logistic regression analyses revealed that familiarity with drinking situations was associated with a greater likelihood of playing drinking games. Students who reported drinking more frequently and consuming greater quantities of alcohol than others, having lifetime marijuana use, and initiating alcohol consumption between the ages of 14 and 16 years were significantly more likely to have participated in drinking games. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering students' participation in drinking games when campus officials address alcohol use.     

A Comparison of an Assessment/Information-Based Group versus an Assessment-Only Group

Abstract

The use/abuse of alcohol leading to impaired driving, accidents and even fatalities is a major social concern. National data sets demonstrate that college students abuse alcohol. This research paper outlines a program designed to reduce levels of drinking and presents a format for evaluating its effectiveness. An experimental study (n = 55) was conducted to examine drinking patterns among full-time college students at four-year institutions to observe whether exposure to a personalized feedback pamphlet would reduce the amount of alcohol consumption between a treatment and nontreatment control group. The posttreatment drinking, as defined by the number of times a week participants consumed five or more drinks per setting, between groups was not statistically significant. However, posttreatment drinking, as defined by the average number of drinks consumed in a sitting, between groups was significant. While the treatment group demonstrated a greater decrease in the number of subscales, this difference was not statistically significant.     

College Student Behavior: A Ten-Year Look

Abstract

Lester and Perez¹ have suggested that student behavior can be usefully construed in terms of a traditional-hedonic, implicit value system. They demonstrated that drug use and sexual activity provide simple behavioral anchors for this dimension, and observed an increasingly hedonic orientation among students. Ten years after their initial study, the student population at the same institution was again sampled using an anonymous questionnaire. The 1980 sample included 208 subjects, and these were compared with 688 subjects who responded to the 1970 survey. This comparison was supplemented by an intensive week-long study of 53 students within one campus living unit.

Significant increases in pre-college sexual activity were noted for both men and women. Marijuana use in high school also increased for both men and women during this period, while alcohol use increased only among women. Previously observed differences between male and female pre-college sexual activity and marijuana use had largely disappeared by 1980. Significant increases in sexual activity while in college were found for women but not for men. For men, overall marijuana and alcohol use in college did not change during the study period, but there was an increase in the frequent use of these drugs. Increases in all categories of marijuana use were noted among women, along with overall increases in their alcohol use. The significant differences between male and female marijuana use noted in the 1970 study were absent in 1980. The intensive week-long study revealed that alcohol use was part of the daily lives of one-third to two-thirds of the students sampled, although they reported interpersonal conflicts, absences from class, accidents, and injuries among the consequences of their drinking. A significant inverse relationship between sleep and alcohol use was observed among women, but not among men.

These data suggest that student behavior has become increasingly hedonic during the past ten years, with women in particular closing the gap which previously differentiated their behavior from that of their male peers. Institutions of higher learning must take these changes into account in the planning of academic programs, residential life, and health services.