October 6, 2009

U of M Research Finds Binge-drinking Among College Students Has Not Improved

News Summary

• University of Minnesota School of Public Health research found that previously identified heavy-drinking colleges have shown little improvement.
• Study found that at 18 heavy-drinking U.S. campuses, students’ alcohol habits showed little change over a dozen years. In 1993, 58 percent of students reported binge-drinking in the past two weeks; in 2005, 56 percent said the same. And although 28 percent of students in 1993 said they frequently binged, that figure was 32 percent in 2005.
• Led by Toben Nelson, Sc.D., the study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 

Quotes

• “We also need programs with broader reach,” - Toben Nelson, Sc.D.

About the School of Public Health

For more than 60 years, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health has been among the top accredited schools of public health in the nation. With a mission focused on research, teaching, and service, the school attracts nearly $70 million in sponsored research each year, has more than 100 faculty members and more than 1,300 students, and is engaged in community outreach activities locally, nationally and in dozens of countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.sph.umn.edu. The School’s Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach promotes lifelong learning to bridge academic and public health practice communities.

Full Text

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (October 6, 2009) -University of Minnesota School of Public Health research found that previously identified heavy-drinking colleges have shown little improvement.

Led by Toben Nelson, Sc.D., the study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Nelson and colleagues focused on 18 U.S. colleges that had, in a 1993 survey, shown particularly acute drinking problems; more than half of students surveyed at each school reported a recent drinking binge, defined as at least four or five drinks in a row.

The study found that at 18 heavy-drinking U.S. campuses, students’ alcohol habits showed little change over a dozen years. In 1993, 58 percent of students reported binge-drinking in the past two weeks; in 2005, 56 percent said the same. And although 28 percent of students in 1993 said they frequently binged, that figure was 32 percent in 2005.

The study did not look at in what, if any, ways colleges and universities are using to combat student drinking, yet Nelson pointed to recommendations made by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism College Drinking Task Force and recent studies that show that there are effective ways to curb college drinking. One of the keys seems to be getting the wider community to work with colleges, which includes more controls on the supply of alcohol and better enforcement of laws against underage drinking and alcohol-related violations such as drinking and driving. Many schools focus their efforts primarily on the students, for example, offering counseling to those who’ve been found to have a potential drinking problem.

“We also need programs with broader reach,” said Nelson.

Parents can also do their part by helping to steer their children toward schools where alcohol is less ingrained in the culture. Nelson cautions that certain characteristics of a school can serve as a tip-off that heavy drinking may be common on campus, including a strong fraternity/sorority presence and a conspicuous number of bars surrounding the campus.

The study was conducted as part of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.