Substance Use Behaviors Among College Students
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Significance of Problem A serious public health concern among college students is misuse of alcohol. Drinking on college campuses is a unique culture and changing this culture is a top priority. (Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2002) Binge drinking, a growing problem, has been correlated with high-risk behaviors, such as unsafe sex, sexual assault, injuries, and even death. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2013) - Binge drinking = 5 or more drinks within a few hours for males and 4 or more drinks for females - Drink = bottle/can of beer, glass of wine, wine cooler, shot glass of liquor, or mixed drink College students tend to overestimate the amount of alcohol their peers consume, which leads to the problem of normalizing dangerous drinking behaviors. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008) Substance Use Behaviors Among College Students Taylor Thompson and Jessica Mueller, BSN Students Christine P. Kurtz, DNP, RN, PMHCNS-BC Theresa A. Kessler, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC College of Nursing & Health Professions Valparaiso University Methods Approval: Valparaiso University IRB Setting: Valparaiso University Sample: Undergraduate students, Fall 2014 N = 3,052 Design: Cross-sectional Survey: Emailed via SurveyMonkey® Modified version of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey: Long Form Analysis: Data analyzed using descriptive statistics Summary of Evidence Upon entering college, students should be screened for alcohol use. (Scott-Sheldon et. al., 2014) Reductions in drinking are associated with web-based interventions with personalized, normative feedback. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008; Scott-Sheldon et. al., 2014) Young drinkers respond better to electronic feedback than in-person feedback. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008) Interventions should target high-risk events such as freshmen year, spring break, and 21 st birthday. (Scott-Sheldon et. al., 2014; Tanner-Smith & Lipsey, 2015) Interventions are more successful when based on theoretical models such as Theory of Planned Behavior Change, Social Ecological Framework, and Motivational Interviewing. Funding provided by the Dr. Robert Good Grant Purpose The main objectives of this study were to: evaluate evidence about drinking behaviors among college students, assess substance use behaviors among undergraduate students at Valparaiso University, and identify factors that are associated with drinking on the college campus. Sample Characteristics ( n = 1,095) Gender: Female = 62% Male = 38% Greek-affiliation: Yes = 27% No = 73% Student athlete: Yes = 12% No = 88% Drink alcohol: Yes = 63% No = 37% Where students Where you live = 72%, Off-campus housing= 61%, drink: Bar/restaurant = 58%, Residence halls = 51%, Fraternity/sorority = 47%, On-campus events = 20% Conclusions Majority of students on this campus drink alcohol Students mostly drink where they live, in off- campus housing, and in bars and restaurants Percentage of males and females who drink is the same at Valpo; however more Greek-affiliated students engage in drinking versus non-Greek students for both males and females Athletes drink significantly more than non-athletes Binge drinking is a significant problem, particularly among males and those associated with Greek life Recommendations Develop evidence-based interventions to support a change in the drinking culture on this campus Target binge drinking, Greek-affiliation, spring break and Halloween as high-risk situations Collaborate with Office of Alcohol and Drug Education to build on current strategies Key Findings Drinking 84% of Greek-affiliated students drink compared to 57.3% of non-Greek (X 2 = 66.001, p < .001) 83.5% in fraternities drink compared to 55.6% not in fraternities (X 2 = 28.521, p < .001) 84.3% in sororities drink compared to 58.5% not in sororities (X 2 = 37.306, p < .001) 75% of athletes drink compared to 63% of non- athletes (X 2 = 6.582, p = .001) Binge drinking 71.7% of drinkers engaged in binge drinking during the past 30 days 76.5% of males binge drink compared to 58.4% of females (X 2 = 50.800, p = .001) 75.3% of Greek-affiliated students engaged in binge drinking compared to 60.3% of non-Greek 71.6% of athletes engage in binge drinking compared to 64.4% of non-athletes (X 2 = 20.281, p = .625) Top 3 reasons for drinking 86.5% “to have fun” 75.2% “to feel good and relax” 46.8% “makes it easier to socialize” 1% 18% 36% 32% 13% Frequency of Binge Drinking (n = 632) Every day 3-5 times/week Once/week 1-2 times/month 1-6 times/year 8% 3% 53% 35% 1% Alcohol Use (n = 1,065) Daily Monthly Socially Weekends Never High - Risk Behaviors/Consequences of Drinking 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Sexual intercourse without protection One-night stand Missed class Got into argument/fight Driven car under influence Memory loss/blackout Been injured/hurt
Transcript of Substance Use Behaviors Among College Students
Significance of Problem A serious public health concern among college
students is misuse of alcohol. Drinking on college campuses is a unique culture
and changing this culture is a top priority. (Task Force of the
National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2002)
Binge drinking, a growing problem, has been correlated with high-risk behaviors, such as unsafe sex, sexual assault, injuries, and even death. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2013)
- Binge drinking = 5 or more drinks within a few hours for males and 4 or more drinks for females
- Drink = bottle/can of beer, glass of wine, wine cooler, shot glass of liquor, or mixed drink
College students tend to overestimate the amount of alcohol their peers consume, which leads to the problem of normalizing dangerous drinking behaviors. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008)
Substance Use Behaviors Among
College Students
Taylor Thompson and Jessica Mueller, BSN Students
Christine P. Kurtz, DNP, RN, PMHCNS-BC
Theresa A. Kessler, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC
College of Nursing & Health Professions
Valparaiso University
MethodsApproval: Valparaiso University IRB
Setting: Valparaiso University
Sample: Undergraduate students, Fall 2014
N = 3,052
Design: Cross-sectional
Survey: Emailed via SurveyMonkey®
Modified version of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey:
Long Form
Analysis: Data analyzed using descriptive statistics
Summary of Evidence Upon entering college, students should be screened for
alcohol use. (Scott-Sheldon et. al., 2014)
Reductions in drinking are associated with web-based interventions with personalized, normative feedback. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008; Scott-Sheldon et. al., 2014)
Young drinkers respond better to electronic feedback than in-person feedback. (Doumas, McKinley, & Book, 2008)
Interventions should target high-risk events such as freshmen year, spring break, and 21st birthday. (Scott-Sheldon
et. al., 2014; Tanner-Smith & Lipsey, 2015)
Interventions are more successful when based on theoretical models such as Theory of Planned Behavior Change, Social Ecological Framework, and Motivational Interviewing.
Funding provided by the Dr. Robert Good Grant
Funding Received from: Wheat Ridge Foundation, Dr. Robert Good,
The Tobacco Education & Prevention Coalition of Porter County Indiana
PurposeThe main objectives of this study were to:
evaluate evidence about drinking behaviors among college students,
assess substance use behaviors among undergraduate students at Valparaiso University, and
identify factors that are associated with drinking on the college campus.
Sample Characteristics (n = 1,095)
Gender: Female = 62% Male = 38%
Greek-affiliation: Yes = 27% No = 73%
Student athlete: Yes = 12% No = 88%
Drink alcohol: Yes = 63% No = 37%Where students Where you live = 72%, Off-campus housing= 61%, drink: Bar/restaurant = 58%, Residence halls = 51%,
Fraternity/sorority = 47%, On-campus events = 20%
Conclusions Majority of students on this campus drink alcohol
Students mostly drink where they live, in off-campus housing, and in bars and restaurants
Percentage of males and females who drink is the same at Valpo; however more Greek-affiliated students engage in drinking versus non-Greek students for both males and females
Athletes drink significantly more than non-athletes
Binge drinking is a significant problem, particularly among males and those associated with Greek life
Recommendations Develop evidence-based interventions to support a
change in the drinking culture on this campus
Target binge drinking, Greek-affiliation, spring break and Halloween as high-risk situations
Collaborate with Office of Alcohol and Drug Education to build on current strategies
Key Findings Drinking 84% of Greek-affiliated students drink compared
to 57.3% of non-Greek (X2 = 66.001, p < .001) 83.5% in fraternities drink compared to 55.6% not
in fraternities (X2 = 28.521, p < .001) 84.3% in sororities drink compared to 58.5% not in
sororities (X2 = 37.306, p < .001) 75% of athletes drink compared to 63% of non-
athletes (X2 = 6.582, p = .001)Binge drinking 71.7% of drinkers engaged in binge drinking during
the past 30 days 76.5% of males binge drink compared to 58.4% of
females (X2 = 50.800, p = .001) 75.3% of Greek-affiliated students engaged in
binge drinking compared to 60.3% of non-Greek 71.6% of athletes engage in binge drinking
compared to 64.4% of non-athletes (X2 = 20.281, p= .625)
Top 3 reasons for drinking 86.5% “to have fun” 75.2% “to feel good and relax” 46.8% “makes it easier to socialize”
1%18%
36%
32%
13%
Frequency of Binge Drinking (n = 632)
Every day 3-5 times/week Once/week
1-2 times/month 1-6 times/year
8%3%
53%
35%
1%
Alcohol Use(n = 1,065)
Daily Monthly SociallyWeekends Never
High-Risk Behaviors/Consequences of Drinking
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Sexual intercoursewithout protection
One-night stand Missed class Got intoargument/fight
Driven car underinfluence
Memory loss/blackout Been injured/hurt
