Title of Project: Reducing College Drinking: Testing a Town/Gown Coalition
U01 Researcher Collaborator: Rob DuRant, Ph.D.
NIAAA Scientific Staff Collaborator: Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H.
Summary:
College students are especially susceptible to the long-term and short-term health and safety consequences associated with high-risk drinking. College students are in an even more susceptible position when alcohol fuels out-of-control parties into riotous behavior. This study: a) assesses the impact of a leadership coalition on environmental changes associated with high-risk drinking; b) determines the impact of environmental changes on high-risk drinking and off-campus student disturbances; and c) analyzes relationships between high-risk drinking and student disturbances. A cohort sequential design using two cohorts of undergraduate students in successive years (n=300 per cohort) will be employed. Alcohol consumption data (7-day recall) will be collected from subjects on 16 different weekends per year, per cohort. Eight of these weekends will be identified as “high-risk” weekends, and eight will be identified as “low-risk” weekends. Time-sensitive data (matched to the weekends when subject assessments are made) will be collected on coalition activities, environmental contexts, external reports of high-risk drinking behavior, and student disturbances. Analyses of year-long trends will be conducted for each cohort. Aggregate analyses combining cohorts will be conducted when necessary and as appropriate. The relationships among coalition activities, environmental contexts, high-risk drinking behavior, and off-campus student disturbances will be monitored.
