UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DRINKING PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS: EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF RAISING THE PURCHASE AGE

An extensive review of the literature on college students' drinking patterns and problems since the mid-1930s revealed no radical changes over the past several decades. However, during the past 10 years, drinking and problems related to drinking and driving have gradually decreased among college students. Results of a study of students at the same 56 colleges and universities throughout the United States (3,145 in 1982-83, 2,797 in 1984-85, and 3,375 in 1987-88) revealed few changes in collegiate drinking patterns and problems attributable to the nationwide increase in the minimum age for alcohol purchase. There was a decline in the proportion of students who drank in the period during which the law changed. However, the proportion of students categorized as heavy drinkers remained constant over time and the proportion of underage students (81%) who drank was higher than the proportion of legal age students who drank (75%). Of 17 problems related to drinking, all but 5 remained stable over the time periods. Three of the problems represent the continuation of an established trend of fewer students indicating drinking and driving-related problems. As discussed in this paper, creative alcohol programming can assist in controlling alcohol abuse among college students.

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  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00902918
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. Public Health Service

  Parklawn Building, Room 13C-26, 5600 Fishers Lane
  Rockville, MD  United States  20857
• Authors:
  • Engs, R C
  • Hanson, D J
• Publication Date: 1988-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 667-673
• Serial:
  • Public Health Reports
  • Volume: 103
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: U.S. Public Health Service
  • ISSN: 0090-2918
  • Serial URL: http://www.publichealthreports.org/index.cfm

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol abuse; Alcohol use; College students; Drunk driving; Legal drinking age; Safety programs; Traffic safety education; Trend (Statistics)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Patterns
• Old TRIS Terms: Alcohol education programs
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00490069
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 496
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 31 1989 12:00AM