Following Up
Binge drinking among university students
Story by Janet Harvey
Binge drinking is the number one health hazard among post-secondary students in North America. It is defined as drinking an amount that raises the level of alcohol in the blood to 0.08% or above-roughly, five or more drinks in a single session for males, and four or more for females. Binge drinking is associated with a variety of negative consequences, including low marks, accidents, violence, and unwanted or unplanned sex. In 2005, with funding from AHFMR, Dr. Shervin Vakili embarked on a study examining binge drinking among students at the University of Calgary.
He began by surveying 2,500 students about their drinking habits and attitudes. Of those who responded, 63% of males and 55% of females reported they had indulged in binge drinking in the previous month. These percentages are higher than US statistics. Previous research had suggested that binge drinking decreases as students get older. Dr. Vakili's survey found this true of women but less clearly true of men: Although frequent binge drinking decreased over time, occasional binge drinking among male students did not. Over 60% of all students reported negative consequences from their own drinking in the previous month. More surprisingly, a slightly higher percentage reported negative consequences due to someone else's drinking. This finding emphasizes the fact that binge drinking can harm both the drinkers and those around them.
In the second phase of the study, Dr. Vakili is testing a new approach to reduce binge drinking. Every other month, students are sent postcards providing information from the survey-either about their own drinking, or about how much the average University of Calgary student drinks. "The theory is that university students overestimate how much their peers drink, and they try to match this incorrect perception," explains Dr. Vakili. "So if we give them correct data, what effect will it have?"
This type of corrective information is called social norming. The postcards avoid giving out messages about not drinking; they merely provide information and allow students to make their own decisions. Dr. Vakili hopes that this method may be useful as a component of future programs devised to reduce binge drinking.
"Traditional efforts to reduce this problem on campus have not been successful. We need some new answers," he says. "The percentages of binge-drinkers is high, yet these people usually don't have alcohol-dependence problems. Risks associated with binge drinking are related to acute intoxication and are different than those usually associated with chronic drinking. And, sadly, you only have to binge-drink once to experience some potentially devastating and life-altering effects."