Failing grade on alcohol
Inside Higher Ed
Issue date: 7/9/09 Section: News
Amidst the hubbub surrounding colleges' attempts to curb excessive drinking on college campuses, one surprising finding has come to light: drinking-related deaths have actually increased. The number of alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths among college-age students between 18 and 24 rose from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, according to a study released Monday.
Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism multiplied the number of 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States, as reported by the Census Bureau, by the estimated percentage of deaths among 18- to 24-year-olds that were alcohol-related, as provided by 331 medical examiner studies. That number was multiplied by 30 percent, since three-tenths of 18- to 24-year-olds are in college. Analysis of drinking habits and driving habits of college students versus non-college students found that those in college drank more and drove under the influence just as much, which led the researchers to conclude that college students suffered alcohol-related deaths as often as non-college students.
The overall lack of progress -- despite years of highly public campaigns by colleges to discourage excessive drinking -- led to some self-reflection Monday as campus officials and substance abuse experts considered the findings. Some experts see the data as evidence of the failure of existing efforts, especially the 21-year-old drinking law, while others question the wisdom of some campus campaigns and wonder whether those campaigns ever received enough money and support.
"I'm sure there are some universities where they can say, 'We are making progress,' but if you look at the nation as a whole, the proportion of college students who said they engage in binge drinking increased," said Ralph Hingson, author of the study and director of the division of epidemiology and prevention research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "It looks like there have been increases, not decreases."
Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism multiplied the number of 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States, as reported by the Census Bureau, by the estimated percentage of deaths among 18- to 24-year-olds that were alcohol-related, as provided by 331 medical examiner studies. That number was multiplied by 30 percent, since three-tenths of 18- to 24-year-olds are in college. Analysis of drinking habits and driving habits of college students versus non-college students found that those in college drank more and drove under the influence just as much, which led the researchers to conclude that college students suffered alcohol-related deaths as often as non-college students.
The overall lack of progress -- despite years of highly public campaigns by colleges to discourage excessive drinking -- led to some self-reflection Monday as campus officials and substance abuse experts considered the findings. Some experts see the data as evidence of the failure of existing efforts, especially the 21-year-old drinking law, while others question the wisdom of some campus campaigns and wonder whether those campaigns ever received enough money and support.
"I'm sure there are some universities where they can say, 'We are making progress,' but if you look at the nation as a whole, the proportion of college students who said they engage in binge drinking increased," said Ralph Hingson, author of the study and director of the division of epidemiology and prevention research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "It looks like there have been increases, not decreases."
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