Suchergebnisse

Purpose. Report on the development and psychometric testing of a theoretically and evidence-grounded instrument, the Characteristics of Responsible Drinking Survey (CHORDS). Design. Instrument subjected to four phases of pretesting (cognitive validity, cognitive and motivational qualities, pilot test, and item evaluation) and a final posttest implementation. Setting. Large public university in Texas. Subjects. Randomly selected convenience sample (n = 729) of currently enrolled students. Measures. This 78-item questionnaire measures individuals' responsible drinking beliefs, motivations, intentions, and behaviors. Cronbach α, split-half reliability, principal components analysis and Spearman ρ were conducted to investigate reliability, stability, and validity. Results. Measures in the CHORDS exhibited high internal consistency reliability and strong correlations of split-half reliability. Factor analyses indicated five distinct scales were present, as proposed in the theoretical model. Subscale composite scores also exhibited a correlation to alcohol consumption behaviors, indicating concurrent validity. Conclusions. The CHORDS represents the first instrument specifically designed to assess responsible drinking beliefs and behaviors. It was found to elicit valid and reliable data among a college student sample. This instrument holds much promise for practitioners who desire to empirically investigate dimensions of responsible drinking.

Purpose: This study assessed whether college student (1) protective behavioral strategy (PBS) use differed between those who reached legal intoxication during their most recent drinking episode compared to those who did not reach the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold, and (2) frequency of PBS use could explain the variance associated with BAC during the most recent drinking episode, above and beyond one's sex, age, and involvement in the Greek system. Design: Secondary data analysis of the American College of Health Association's National College Health Assessment. Setting: Forty-four distinct campuses were included. Participants: A total of 21479 college students were included. Measures: BAC and PBS were measured. Analysis: The data were analyzed by conducting both independent samples t-tests and a multiple regression model. Effect sizes are reported. Results: Participants who reached legal intoxication used PBS less frequently ( P < .001; d = 0.80). Frequency of PBS use had the strongest unique contribution to the regression model (β = −.315, P < .001), such that participants with higher BAC reported less frequent use of PBS. Conclusion: Interventions should seek to develop strategies that encourage college student use of PBS prior to, and during, drinking episodes. More frequent use of PBS can reduce intoxication as well as occurrence of alcohol-associated consequences.

The present study examined the nature and correlates of 252 student service members'/military veteran and civilian college students' drinking motivations. Data was collected via electronic survey. Results revealed no differences between military affiliated and civilian students in mean levels of alcohol motivations. However, the links between alcohol motives and problem drinking differed for these two groups of students. Specifically, coping motivations were linked to problem drinking for student service members/veterans but not civilian students.

Objective. Summarize/categorize current scientific literature examining the association between alcohol consumption (AC) and levels of physical activity (PA). Data Source. Electronic databases spanning education, psychology, sociology, medicine, and interdisciplinary reports. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. Included studies (n = 17) must be published in a peer-reviewed, English language journal; measure either AC or PA as an independent/dependent variable; and primarily examine the relationship between AC and PA. Data Extraction. Search terms/phrases included alcohol, alcohol consumption, drinking, physical activity, exercise, and physically active. Data Synthesis. The Matrix Method and PRISMA guidelines organized pertinent literature and identified/extracted salient findings. Results. Alcohol consumers of all ages were more physically active than nondrinking peers. Further, several studies suggest a dose-response relationship between AC and PA, indicating that as drinking increases, so does PA level. Conclusion. Reviewed studies support a positive association between AC and PA across all ages. Findings were contrary to the hypothesis of the investigators. Future research should place specific emphasis on identifying why alcohol consumers exercise at higher levels than non–alcohol consumers.

Abstract

Aims
Examine and evaluate the overall effectiveness of age gates preventing access of underage users to alcohol websites.


Methods
Assess the characteristics of digital age gates among the top 25 alcohol brands among American adolescents, including type of age gate employed and resulting actions of repeated access requests indicating the user was under the legal drinking age.


Results
All official alcohol brand websites examined included an age gate, requiring either entering one's date of birth (DOB, 91%) or clicking a yes/no box indicating they were of legal drinking age (9%). Only one out of every five alcohol websites blocked futures attempts to gain access after entering a response indicating the user was under the legal drinking age. Users were allowed indefinite attempts to enter a DOB that was of legal drinking age, with the majority of websites subsequently granting access even after multiple underage entries.


Conclusions
Alcohol website visitors with minimal arithmetic abilities, such as very young youth, are able to employ 'trial and error' to eventually enter an acceptable legal drinking DOB and gain access. Alcohol brand age gates are weak, at best, and likely an inconsequential barrier that someone with limited math abilities can easily overcome.

This investigation assessed whether alcohol consumption was negatively related to grade point average (GPA) among a nationally representative sample of college students. Items from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment ( N = 22,424) were investigated. One-way ANOVAs and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results revealed that respondents with lower GPAs consumed a greater number of drinks compared with those with higher GPAs. Students with higher GPAs engaged in heavy episodic drinking less than students with lower GPAs. Number of drinks consumed was the strongest predictor of academic performance; the likelihood of being an A student decreased with each drink consumed. Similarly, binge drinking was the strongest predictor; the likelihood of being an A student decreased as binge drinking increased. The dynamic, interdependent relationship between alcohol and GPA documented herein confirms previous research, which delineates reduced academic performance as a function of alcohol consumption.