Alcohol-Related Problems Among College Students

Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed research is to implement and evaluate a comprehensive intervention that will effect environmental changes in the community and campus environment to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related problems among college students. To achieve this goal, the proposed study has three specific aims: 1. Drawing on previous work by the investigators and others, design and refine a two prongedintervention focused on changing both the community and campus environments to reduce alcoholuse and alcohol problems among college students. 2. Implement this intervention with a high degree of intensity and fidelity in five intervention campusesand surrounding communities. 3. Evaluate the impact of the evaluation using a randomized experimental design using "objective"measures (e.g., alcohol-related injury rates, others?) of alcohol use and alcohol-related incidences and students' self-reports and dormitory resident advisors' reports of alcohol use and alcohol-related incidents. Ten colleges and universities in South Carolina will be selected and recruited. From the ten schools fivematched pairs will be established and one school from each pair will be randomly assigned to either theintervention or control group. In the five intervention schools and surrounding communities a detailed study will occur to determine what they are currently doing to control problem drinking and a customized plan will be developed in collaboration with the college and community, with the goal of implementing very similar alcohol prevention interventions across the five campuses and communities for three years (years 2-4). In year two a random sample of freshman will be selected for a longitudinal study sample and will participate in web based surveys once a year through their senior year. Also, repeated cross sectional web based surveys will be conducted twice a year on all other students. Problem drinking behavior data will also be collected four times a year from documentary resident advisors, as well as from student health, student services, campus police and local law enforcement in years two through five.