The number of college students who participate in "binge drinking" -- or drinking for the purpose of getting drunk -- remains at 44 percent of all students despite increased efforts by colleges to curb the trend, according to the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study released in March.
Last week a new study revealed that drinking by college students contributes to an astonishing 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year.
"The harm that college students do to themselves and others as a result of excessive drinking exceeds what many would have expected," lead author Ralph W. Hingson, Sc.D., Professor of Social Behavioral Sciences and Associate Dean for Research at Boston University School of Public Health said in a news release. "Our data clearly point to the need for better interventions against high-risk drinking in this population."
"These numbers paint a picture of a deeply entrenched threat to the health and well-being of our young people," adds Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., Acting Director of NIAAA. "This study, and the NIH report released by the Task Force on College Drinking, are an urgent call-to-action for educators, researchers, students and society in general."
The NIAAA Task Force on College Drinking study demonstrated that college drinking prevention efforts have done little to slow the overall trend nationwide, but efforts in some locales have been successful -- especially those that are aimed not just at the at-risk drinkers, but the entire student population and the community in which the college is located.
For example, the report found that underage students attending colleges in states with extensive laws restricting underage and high-volume drinking were less likely to binge drink.
Changing the Culture
Therefore, the NIAAA Task Force recommends that efforts aimed at preventing college drinking be aimed at changing the entire "college drinking culture" by simultaneously targeting three audiences: the student population as a whole; the college and its surrounding environment; and the individual at-risk or alcohol-dependent drinker.To help with this effort, the NIAAA has established a new College Drinking Prevention web site which presents the Task Force's reports and recommendations and other resources, including:
- Research studies and NIAAA funding opportunities;
- Facts and frequently asked questions on alcohol abuse and alcoholism;
- College and university alcohol policies throughout the United States;
- Tips, techniques and statistics for campus health administrators, college presidents, community leaders, guidance counselors, media, parents, and RAs/peer educators; and
