'A Matter of Degree' College Interventions Successful

An American Medical Association program aimed at reducing drinking by college students has resulted in students missing less classes, being injured less often and drinking less, according to a report.

The Harvard School of Public Health evaluated the "A Matter of Degree" program which is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the AMA and found that students at universities participating are less likely to miss class, be assaulted by a drunk student or hurt themselves after drinking.

The study also found a decline in the drinking rates themselves at colleges incorporating the most A Matter of Degree policies or "interventions." The program helps universities collaborate with their students and surrounding communities to reduce the environmental factors that lead to high-risk drinking.

The study found that five of the 10 A Matter of Degree colleges implementing the most environmental changes to their campus and community drinking environments saw significant reductions in drinking rates and in the problems caused by heavy drinking, compared to a group of 32 schools that did not participate.

But colleges that implemented fewer environmental changes did not see reduction in consumption or injuries, when compared to the same group of 32 schools.

"AMOD policies and programs work because they go beyond the traditional prevention efforts that focus solely on the individual drinker," said AMA President J. Edward Hill, MD, in a news release. "Today's college students face powerful social and commercial influences to drink. If we are to reduce the dangerous levels of campus drinking and its consequences, colleges and surrounding communities must cooperate to reduce the numerous environmental factors that contribute to alcohol abuse."

Harm Reductions

Findings of the study reveal that the five colleges saw significant reductions not only in actual rates of drinking, "binge drinking" and "frequent drunkenness" relative to the 32 comparison schools, but also in the direct and secondhand harms of alcohol use including reports of:

• Missing a class;

• Falling behind in school work;

• Vandalizing property;

• Hurting themselves because of drinking;

• Being assaulted by a fellow college student who is drinking; and

• Experiencing an unwanted sexual advance by someone drinking.

"Levels of implementation were affected by numerous obstacles common on and around campuses: alcohol industry resistance, little or no cooperation from the community, lack of student support and high drinking rates common in the states themselves. But, the findings in this study validate the environmental prevention model and offer hope to colleges, universities and their surrounding communities seeking ways to confront the academic and public health problems caused by high-risk drinking—the more interventions or alcohol control activities, the greater reductions in secondhand harms," said Richard A.Yoast, Ph.D., Director of the AMA Office of Alcohol and other Drug Abuse, AMOD's national office. "Just as there are multiple reasons behind college binge drinking, there are multiple ways to counter it. The schools that have done the important work of instituting broad changes on and off campus to reduce drinking are being rewarded with a safer environment for students and the communities in which they live."

Suggested Interventions

Some of the interventions that A Matter of Degree suggests for campuses, law enforcement and community residents and businesses include:

• Alcohol advertising and promotion controls;

• Keg registration;

• Mandatory training for responsible beverage service;

• Stronger, more consistent campus-university enforcement and police collaboration;

• Curbs on selling alcohol without a license; and

• Alcohol-free activities and residence halls.

"This preliminary report shows that changing the social context of drinking for our university students may help create an environment conducive to academic progress, reduction of alcohol-related problems, and the secondhand effects of college student binge drinking," said Robin E. Mockenhaupt,of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Source The study was published in the October 2004 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.