Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
A Campus-Wide
Approach to
Alcohol Abuse
Prevention
Melissa McGee, Ph.D., MPH
Campus Health Service
The University of Arizona
mcgee@health.arizona.edu
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
• 18-29 year olds accounted
for 45% of overall adult
drinking
• Top 5% of drinkers
accounted for 42% of beer,
wine and spirits consumed
• Top 20% of drinkers
accounted for 89% of alcohol
consumed
Greenfield, Thomas. Alcohol Research Group in Berkeley, CA.
Journal of Alcohol Studies, 60 (1), 78-79, 1999.
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
What does this mean?
• The majority of UA
students are light to
moderate drinkers, if they
drink at all
• The bulk of the alcohol is
consumed by a relatively
small population of
students
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Goals
• Reduce prevalence of heavy and
high-risk drinking
• Correct student misperceptions
about college alcohol use at the
UA
• Increase the effectiveness of
campus alcohol policies and
enforcement
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Goals (cont.)
• Correct key stakeholder
misperceptions about college
alcohol use at the UA
• Target campus and
community events,
traditionally associated with
unsafe drinking practices, for
policy and enforcement
change
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Prevention Strategies
• Social Norms Media
Campaign
• Environmental
Management
• Moderation Skills
Training
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Social Norms Theory
“If students perceive
something to be the norm, they
tend to alter their behavior to
fit that norm, even if it isn’t
reality. If, however, they are
presented with the actual
norm, they will conform to it.”
-- Michael Haines
Northern Illinois University
Forbes
MediaCritic 1995, p.24
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Drinks When Students Party
60
50
40
Actual
Believed
30
20
10
0
6 or more drinks
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Normative message
Photo of students
in familiar campus
location
Drink equivalency
information
Credible data
source
Recognizable logo
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Environmental
Management
•Campus policies and
procedures
•Availability of alcohol and
other drugs
•Enforcement of
regulations and laws
•Availability of alcohol-free
social and recreational
options
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Spheres of Action
Campus Task
Force
Campus and
Community
Coalition
Associations of
Colleges and
Universities
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Moderation Skills
Training
SHADE Alcohol
Diversion Program:
•Measure intake
•Calculate BAC
•Examine drinking patterns
•Learn behaviors to reduce risk
•Anticipate high-risk situations
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Success Indicators
•29% decrease in heavy
drinking rates
•Increase in those who
abstain to 21% (up from
14.5% in 1995)
•Significant decreases in
alcohol-related negative
consequences
•In 2001, UA “binge
drinking” rate was 10 points
below national average
Campus-Wide Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Awards & Honors
•Exemplary Substance Abuse
Prevention Programs Award
(CSAP, 1999)
•Model Programs Award for
Alcohol and Other Drug
Prevention (U.S. DOE, 2000)
•Included in the National
Registry of Effective
Prevention Programs (CSAP,
2001)