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.

Trends in colorectal cancer incidence among younger adults—Disparities by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and subsite

“…It is thus important to consider the behavioral attributes which may be changing in younger adult culture. We know they drink more,14, 15, 16 and they engage in riskier sexual behaviors21, 22 than earlier generations. HPV is associated with cancers in other organs,44 and we know that alcohol has a greater impact on the rectal subsite 45.…”

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Association between alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related problems: An event-level analysis.

“…The DDD also included a list of 30 consequences assembled from non-overlapping items from the RAPI, the College Alcohol Problems Scale (Maddock, Laforge, Rossi, & O'Hare, 2001;O'Hare, 1997), the Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (Hurlbut & Sher, 1992), the problems list used in the College Alcohol Study (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, Seibring, Nelson, & Lee, 2002), and the Student Alcohol Questionnaire (Engs & Hanson, 1994). Items were included in the DDD only if they were likely to ensue from a single drinking event.…”

Feedback interventions for college alcohol misuse: What, why and for whom?

“…Almost half of students report a heavy drinking episode over the last 2 weeks (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2000;Wechsler et al, 2002), and one quarter engage in heavy or problematic drinking (Barnes, Welte, & Dintcheff, 1992;Berkowitz & Perkins, 1986). Surveys find a heavy episodic drinking pattern to be associated with poorer grade point averages, higher rates of drinking and driving, greater incidences of assault and rape, and a substantial cost burden to colleges, hospitals, and the legal system (Frinter & Rubinson, 1993;Hingson, Heeren, Zakocs, Kpostein, & Wechsler, 2002;Schuckit, Klein, Twitchell, & Springer, 1994).…”