Bystander Training for Drinking Situations among College Students How can bystanders become rescuers? Bystander training programs help give individuals skills and confidence to intervene in risky situations like sexual violence, bullying, drug overdoses, and drunk driving. However, people intervening often face dilemmas in balancing concern for the safety of others with maintaining their own social [...]
Six key ingredients can increase success Social marketing uses conventional marketing tools and techniques with the aim not of making profit, but of promoting individual and group behavior changes that reap health or social benefits. There are 6 key elements in the social marketing approach that work best when used all together. A new literature [...]
Audience segmentation to create more effective prevention messages A recent Australian study found several clues to understand what motivates parents to provide alcohol to their underage children: They want their child to fit in with other kids They want to be the child’s “friend” as well as a parent (the “cool” parent) They see it [...]
Do problem drinkers self-select into fraternities and sororities? College students affiliated with Greek letter organizations (e.g., fraternities and sororities) are more likely to drink within the past month than unaffiliated students (B = 0.73, p < 0.01), according to a recent analysis of National College Health Assessment (NCHA) data (Foster et al., 2014). The question [...]
Heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems are reduced through BASICS program A new randomized controlled trial has found that undergraduate heavy drinkers, whether mandated or volunteer to participate in the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) program, have fewer drinks weekly and fewer alcohol-related problems, compared to a control group. Even 12 months after the intervention, [...]
This week’s CDC Vital Signs reports that alcohol poisoning kills around 6 people every day in the U.S. Alcohol poisoning, usually resulting from high-intensity binge drinking, can shut down parts of the brain that control breathing and other vital body functions. The report points out that most of these deaths are in white men, age [...]
What will it take for college campuses to bring down the level of "binge drinking" among college students? This article in the Chronicle of Higher Education claims that current efforts are ineffective and makes the case for reframing the problem, moving from an emphasis on "education" to an emphasis on "enforcement." Read more
College students are not the only population making the news for alcohol use. A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. drinks excessively (see definitions below). In contrast, around 1 in 30 adults meets the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence. Let’s put [...]
Ah, the advantages of Google Scholar Alerts. Here are some of the articles on social norms studies (mostly alcohol and other substance use; one on water conservation) that look interesting and relevant that have come our way in the last couple of weeks by way of our Google Scholar alerts: Alcohol mixed with energy drinks [...]
Two interesting studies: Alcohol Marketing and Young People's Drinking: The Role of Perceived Social Norms Ph.D. Dissertation by Gerard Hastings, University of Stirling Abstract: There has been substantial scientific debate about the impact of alcohol marketing on consumption. Relying mainly on econometric studies, the alcohol industry has traditionally maintained that alcohol marketing does not influence consumption, [...]
