Newswise — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has awarded North Dakota State University, Fargo, $783,750 to develop a rapid response program to reduce high-risk drinking by college students. The three-year grant will assist NDSU to gather information and implement programs to target dangerous drinking behaviors at 21st birthday celebrations and among first-year college students, two groups where high-risk alcohol consumption is visible.
NIAAA's published report, A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges, demonstrates the extensive nature of alcohol-related problems among college students. Nationally, there are approximately 1,400 fatal injuries among college students each year (Hingson et al., 2001) including deaths resulting from acute alcohol poisoning, automobile collisions, falls, and drownings (Wechsler et al., 2000).
Results from the 2005 Core Alcohol and Drug survey shows that more NDSU students are choosing not to drink alcohol—but of the students who drink—more of them are engaging in high-risk drinking. When choosing to drink, 55.8 percent reported they engage in binge drinking (five or more standard drinks in one sitting), compared with 52.3 percent the previous year.
The grant from the NIAAA will fund two studies. Results will be used to generate more effective programs to combat alcohol abuse on campus and measure the effectiveness of the programs used. "Research has consistently shown that drinking behavior among college students is better predicted by what people think others do, than by what people actually do," says Laura Oster-Aaland, director of Orientation and Student Success at NDSU. She notes that research shows that college students overestimate the amount of alcohol their peers are consuming, and then base how much alcohol they themselves drink on the misperception. "The grant will allow us to develop solid data, create alcohol abuse prevention programs that target 21st birthday celebrants and first-year students and measure the effectiveness of the programs."
Alcohol behaviors can be set long before students arrive on a college campus. The 2004 Youth Risk Behavior Study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that North Dakota's high school students were among the nation's highest statistics in 30-day alcohol use (54%), drunk driving (27%) and riding with someone after drinking (43%).
The program being developed at NDSU with NIAAA funding will determine what the typical drinking patterns are among students on campus and provide students with accurate information to make better choices regarding alcohol consumption. NDSU will collaborate with NIAAA staff, as well as with Dr. Mary Larimer at the University of Washington's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Results will be disseminated to assist college campuses nationwide in addressing high-risk drinking among first-year students and students celebrating their 21st birthdays.
Due to the ingrained nature of alcohol use on college campuses, Oster-Aaland says it will require a great deal of time and effort on many levels to change such high-risk behaviors.
Sources:U.S. Education Department liquor law violations reported by 6,412 postsecondary institutions eligible to participate in financial aid programs. http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/crime/arrestreferrals/edlite-liqarrest.html
2005 NDSU Core Alcohol & Drug Survey. http://www.ndsu.edu/university_relations/news/wmview.php?ArtID=1851
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdfs/statefacts/northdakota.pdfhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5302.pdf pg 36 of 100
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Hingson, R.W., Heeren, T., Zakocs, R.C., Kopstein, A., & Wechsler, H. (2001). Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18-24. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63, 136-144.
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