ALCOHOL KNOWLEDGE AND DRINKING BEHAVIOR AT THIRTEEN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The knowledge of alcohol and drinking patterns and among thirteen of the 62 schools in the 50 + 12 Project, an alcohol education initiative of NIAAA, is discussed. A major purpose of this descriptive study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure college students knowledge of alcohol, their drinking patterns, and problems related to their drinking. To this end the Student Alcohol Questionnaire was developed. Both the drinking patterns and knowledge sub-scales and the total instrument were found to be highly reliable (r=.79 ). The result of the survey revealed that males and whites had higher alcohol knowledge scores than females and blacks respectively. Significantly more seniors had scores above 26 compared to underclassmen. The results revealed that 79% of student drink at least once a year and approximately 20% were heavy or at risk drinkers consuming 6 or more drinks at any one sitting. Over half the sample reported they had experienced “hangovers” and “driven a car after drinking” during the past year. Whites and males were significantly more likely to consume alcohol and to be heavy at risk drinkers compared to blacks and females. There was no significant different due to class year.