Exploring locality and college binge drinking: a Polish and Canadian perspective

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of the paper is to explore the relation between locality and college students' binge drinking. The aim is to deepen understanding of the influence of three kinds of localities, such as: family home, residential halls and public venue on students' binge drinking.Design/methodology/approach -The research method employed was four focus groups interview conducted with 25 college students in Poland and Canada where the incidence of binge drinking is high. Focus group data were transcribed, the Polish sample was translated into English, and all data were then analyzed.Findings -Various localities distinguished in this paper seem to have different influences on students' binge drinking. Notably, students living in college residential halls binged on more occasions than their counterparts.Research limitations/implications -The qualitative character of research presented in this paper means the results cannot be uncritically generalized. Exploration of the influence of locality on students' binge drinking requires further investigation.Originality/value -The influence of locality on binge drinking had not previously been explored in isolation. Consideration of these factors in isolation using a qualitative lens identified that locations involving homogeneous inhabitants, e.g. college residential halls and socialist housing blocks with large numbers of young people who are co-located can be associated with higher levels of binge drinking. Such homogenous locations are characterized by individuals who are all in a similar stage of life, with common interests and aspirations. Other locations such as the family home involve heterogeneous influences and these result in lower levels of binge drinking.

Effects of price and alcohol content on purchase behaviour: an analysis of Australian and New Zealand youth drinking

“…The limitation of this research is the social context employed. We know, for example, that locality has an influence on college binge drinking (Siemieniako et al, 2010), and the location that has heavy peer influence and little parental or wider social group influence, appears to be where binge drinking occurs more regularly, which is consistent with the notion suggested by this study. What we do not know is the effect of different contexts on the expectations (considered in this study) participants would have.…”

Binge drinking in relation to services – bibliometric analysis of scientific research directions

“…Research focussing on binge drinking in young people suggests many individual, economic, social, political and organisational factors that contribute to binge drinking (Dowdall & Wechsler, 2002;Wechsler & Nelson, 2008). Locality is another factor that may influence binge drinking being unexplored (Korff, 2003;Siemieniako et al, 2010;Kubacki et al, 2009).…”

“…For example, previous research shows that demographic variables, such as age below 21 (Schulenberg et al, 2001), male gender (Presley et al, 1996), initial years in the university (Schulenberg et al, 2001), white race (O'Malley & Johnston, 2002), residence on campus (Weschler et al, 2002;Siemieniako et al, 2010) and lower academic performance (Weschler et al, 2000) have all been associated with higher levels of binge drinking. Additionally, religiosity has been negatively associated with binge drinking among young people (White et al, 2006).…”

Examining price promotions, venue and place of residence as predictors of alcohol consumption

“…People who consume most of their alcohol in bars plus other locations (termed "bar plus" drinkers) are more likely to be involved in drinking rituals, arguments and fights and are more likely to drink drive (Nyaronga et al, 2009). For university students in Canada and Poland, venue has also been linked to the amount of alcohol consumed and different drinking experiences (Siemieniako et al, 2010). The family home tended to be associated with lower levels of drinking and initiation to alcohol (that is, having the first drink of alcohol supervised in the family home) while residential halls had a social context that supported binge drinking, including intensive social interactions, a larger variety of occasions to consume alcohol and greater peer pressure (Siemieniako et al, 2010).…”

“…For university students in Canada and Poland, venue has also been linked to the amount of alcohol consumed and different drinking experiences (Siemieniako et al, 2010). The family home tended to be associated with lower levels of drinking and initiation to alcohol (that is, having the first drink of alcohol supervised in the family home) while residential halls had a social context that supported binge drinking, including intensive social interactions, a larger variety of occasions to consume alcohol and greater peer pressure (Siemieniako et al, 2010). Location was associated with different drinking behaviours; for example, drinking at pubs was associated with chatting with friends and relaxing while alcohol served at nightclubs was perceived as a social lubricant to meet new people (Siemieniako et al, 2010).…”