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| Intervening to Reduce High-Risk Drinking Among Students Across Environmental Settings |
| Monday, May 29, 2006 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lenox |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Chris S. Dula (East Tennessee State University) |
| Abstract: Four data-based presentations on student alcohol use and abuse will be presented. The first paper presents data assessing the prevalence of drinking and driving following Division I NCAA football games. Implications for intervention efforts to reduce levels of DUI after these types of sporting events will be discussed. The second presentation reports on research conducted to determine the intoxication levels of university students and their friends when celebrating 21st birthdays in a community setting. Implications of the findings for future studies of alcohol consumption by college students on their 21st birthdays, as well as the development of interventions to prevent DUI, will be discussed. The third paper presents research assessing the efficacy of interventions designed to curtail alcohol use among high school students attending prom dances. Two national intervention programs, “None for the Road” and “Prom Promise”, were implemented by school personnel at four rural high schools in eastern Virginia. Results of these interventions on student alcohol use on prom night will be presented and discussed. The final paper presents data indicating that an incentive/reward intervention can effectively reduce alcohol consumption in a high-risk setting (e.g., at fraternity parties). Also, the effects of multiple exposures to this intervention were assessed. |
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| Blood Alcohol Levels of Tailgaters at NCAA Collegiate Football Games. |
| STEVEN W. CLARKE (Virginia Tech), Christi Blake (Virginia Tech), Christopher O. Downing, Jr. (Virginia Tech), Matthew G. Cox (Virginia Tech), Robin C. Lawson (Virginia Tech) |
| Abstract: This field study was designed to study intoxication levels of persons tailgating both before and following collegiate football games. Participants included 1,023 individuals (612 men and 411 women) attending tailgate parties at one of six NCAA Division 1-A college football games at Virginia Tech. Research assistants approached tailgaters in one of three randomly selected parking lots. The tailgaters were recruited to complete questionnaires, and self-administer a Breathscan® tester after the game, just before they left the parking lot. Tailgaters returned the breathalyzers to research assistants at the exits of the parking lot in exchange for a raffle entry form to win $250. A positive breath test indicated whether the driver was at or above a BAC of .05 (accuracy = ±.005). Ninety-three percent of drivers agreed to participate, and 52.5% returned a breath tester. Results indicated that 33.7% of drivers and 44% of non-drivers tested positive. There was a significant positive correlation between the observed amount of university apparel worn by participants and having a positive breath test, r = .27. The implications of these findings for future studies of alcohol consumption at tailgate parties will be discussed, as well as the development of interventions to prevent DUI. |
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| Analysis of Blood Alcohol Levels Among 21st Birthday Celebrants on a College Campus. |
| ELISE A. DRAKE (Virginia Tech), Steven W. Clarke (Virginia Tech), Thomas R. Cunningham (Virginia Tech), Leah Farrell (Virginia Tech), Sara E. Valentino (Virginia Tech), Si Jun Kim (Virginia Tech) |
| Abstract: It is well known that the 21st birthday is one time when there is a significant amount of high-risk drinking among college students. For many college students (especially moderate-risk drinkers), the 21st birthday is one of the heaviest drinking occasions while they are in college. The aim of the current study was to determine the intoxication levels of university students and their friends when celebrating their 21st birthday, and to explore ways to reduce this problem. Participant’s blood alcohol levels (BALs) were measured at the end of the evening. In addition, participants verbally reported various drinking behaviors, and completed a questionnaire the next day to indicate the number of negative outcomes they experienced. Results indicated that 21st birthday celebrants BAL were extremely high (M = .107, SD = .057), as were the BALs of other celebrating with them (M = .107, SD = .057). Overall, few participants made attempts to moderate their consumption. Specifically, 13.6% of participants reported turning down one alcoholic beverage and an additional 15.0% reported turning down multiple alcoholic beverages. Self-reports also indicated that 78.8% of attempts to moderate consumption were unsuccessful. The implications of these findings for future studies of alcohol consumption at by college students on their 21st birthdays, as well as the development of interventions to prevent DUI, will be discussed. |
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| Investigating the Impact of Two National Interventions for Reducing Alcohol Consumption by High School Students on Prom Night. |
| RYAN C. SMITH (Virginia Tech), Kent E. Glindemann (Virginia Tech), E. Scott Geller (Virginia Tech) |
| Abstract: Alcohol consumption and subsequent negative outcomes resulting from high-school prom dances is a highly recognized problem. Two national intervention programs, “None for the Road” and Nationwide Insurance’s “Prom Promise”, have been developed and independently incorporated into 4,343 high schools across the country. However, to date little or no outcome data have been collected to determine the efficacy of these programs. This study investigated the effectiveness of these two programs at four rural high schools in eastern Virginia. The two interventions were implemented by the participating schools over a three-day period during the week prior to the prom at each high school. The week following the proms, juniors and seniors (n = 263) were targeted to complete an evaluative survey asking them about their degree of exposure to the interventions and their prom-night behaviors. The most encouraging results were associated with school-sponsored after-prom parties. Students who attended these after-prom parties not only reported having less alcohol available, but also reported consuming less alcohol than those who did not attend these school-sponsored parties, p < .05. Results will be discussed with implications for future interventions designed to curtail alcohol use among high-school students attending prom dances. |
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| Assessing the Effects of Multiple Exposures to an Intervention Aimed at Reducing Fraternity Party Alcohol Use. |
| KENT E. GLINDEMANN (Virginia Tech), Kristin A. Williamson (Virginia Tech), Matt C. Camden (Virginia Tech), Christina L. Goodwin (Virginia Tech), David W. Feigal, III (Virginia Tech) |
| Abstract: College student alcohol use continues to be a concern on this nation’s campuses, contributing to a variety of negative consequences ranging from physical harm to reduced academic success, and impaired decision-making to driving under the influence (DUI). This study investigated the ability of an incentive/reward intervention to reduce alcohol use at university fraternity parties. Four fraternities were recruited and placed into either a standard A-B-A design (two fraternities, three parties each) or an extended A-B-B-B-A design (two fraternities, five parties each), the latter being implemented to study the effects of multiple exposures to the above intervention. At baseline parties, all participants completing a brief questionnaire and having their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) assessed with a handheld breathalyzer were entered into a raffle for $100 to be drawn before the research team left the party. At intervention parties, a contingency was implemented in which only those participants whose BAC was below .050 were entered into the raffle. Independent variables included Gender, Fraternity Party, and Greek-Life Status, with the primary dependent variable being assessed BAC level. The cash raffle incentive reduced significantly the amount of intoxication, but repeated exposure did not increase the beneficial impact of this intervention. Results will be discussed with an emphasis on directions for further research using this unique intervention. |
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