Results and Recommendations From the NIAAA Task Force on College Drinking: New Opportunities for Research and Program Planning
Treating Addictions in Special Populations: Research Confronts Reality
October 7 and 8, 2002
Binghamton Regency Conference Center
Binghamton, New York
Fred Donodeo, MPA
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, MD
Contact: Fred_Donodeo@nih.gov
Why Was the Task Force Created?
- Increasing Public and NIAAA Concern
- Congressional Inquiries
- Gaps in Research
- Need to provide science-based
information to colleges
- Bring research to the forefront of the
discussion
Composition of Task Force
- 15 College Presidents
- 17 researchers
- 8 college students
- 4 High School Students
- Chairs:
Rev. Edward Malloy (U.N.D.)
Dr. Mark Goldman (U.S.F.)
Task Force Goals
- Provide new, comprehensive data on the
extent of the problem
- Advise NIAAA and other policymakers on
gaps in knowledge to inform future research
to improve campus prevention and treatment
programs
- Provide presidents, policymakers, and
researchers with information and
recommendations on the effectiveness of
current interventions and encourage them to
embrace rigorous methodology and
research-based solutions in general
Why is the Task Force Unique?
- First project of such length (3 years) involving
presidents and researchers who deliberated
to reach their conclusions
- First NIH report on college drinking to offer
recommendations based on a
comprehensive review of the research
literature
- First report to offer tiered, research-based
recommendations to presidents and staff
- Offers a comprehensive research agenda to
address gaps in knowledge
Task Force Products
- Task Force Report
- Two Panel Reports
- 24 scientific papers (see handout):
1 published in the Journal on Alcohol Studies
18 published in a supplement to the Journal on Alcohol Studies
- Brochures for parents, presidents, and
RAs/Peer Educators
- Planning Guide for college staff on how to
implement and evaluate intervention
programs
- Web site
- CD - Rom
Major Sections of the Task Force Report
- Extent of the Problem
- Research-based recommendations
for Presidents
- Recommendations for future research
- Research Recommendations for
NIAAA
Magnitude of College Drinking Consequences
(all statistics are annual)
- 1,400 Alcohol-Related Unintentional Injury
Deaths (1,100 Traffic)
- 2.1 Million Drove Under the Influence
- 500,000 Injured
- 400,000 Had Unprotected Sex
- 100,000 Had Sex When Unable to Consent
- 70,000 Victims of Sexual Assault
- 600,000 Assaulted
Research-based Recommendations for Presidents and Programming Staff
- 3 in 1 Framework
- “Tier” Approach
The 3 – in – 1 Framework
The 3-in-1 Framework is a useful introduction to encourage presidents, administrators, college prevention specialists, students, and community members to think in a broad and comprehensive fashion about college drinking.
- Individuals, including at-risk or
alcohol-dependent drinkers
- Student body as a whole
- College and Surrounding
community
Task Force Recommendations
- Tier 1: Evidence of Effectiveness Among College Students
- Tier 2: Evidence of Success With
General Populations That
Could Be Applied to College Environments
- Tier 3: Evidence of Logical and Theoretical Promise,
But Require More Comprehensive Evaluation
- Tier 4: Evidence of Ineffectiveness
Recommendations for the Research Community
- High priority on evaluation research
- Well-designed evaluation studies…
- Increase likelihood of program effectiveness
- Maximize use of resources
- Validate program credibility
- Extract more and better information
from existing research databases
- Develop standards for assessing
campus alcohol problems,
monitoring trends, and evaluating
programs
- Improve existing data systems
(e.g. FARS) to more accurately
monitor college drinking deaths over time
- Collaborate with universities to
capitalize on “natural experiments”
- Partner with universities on short-term
evaluations of popular, common-
sense prevention strategies
- Assist universities in using research-
based evidence to improve alcohol
policies and programs
Recommendations to NIAAA: Improving Research Methods
- Implement a national surveillance
and data system for all U.S.
colleges and universities
- Support development of state-of-
the - art screening and assessment
measures
Recommendations to NIAAA: Lengthy and Complex Research
- Longitudinal studies of youth – early
adolescence to young adulthood
- Measuring effectiveness of campus-
community coalitions
- Multi-site campus trials of promising
strategies
Other Task Force Recommendations to NIAAA
- Disseminate research-based
information to all college campuses
- Expand funding to support college
drinking research on as many
campuses as possible
Ongoing NIAAA Activities
- Web site
- Regional Workshops
- Annual updates
- Research funding available from
NIAAA: $ 8 million over next two
years
Conclusion
- Task Force conclusions are not an
end, but a beginning
- Provides the foundation for
science, rather than anecdote, to
guide college drinking prevention
efforts
Scientific Papers
Commissioned by
The
NIAAA Task Force
On College Drinking
Papers Commissioned by Panel 1: Contexts and Consequences
Magnitude of Alcohol Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24--Ralph Hingson, et al.
Measuring College Alcohol Use and Abuse The Method Shapes the Message--George Dowdall and Henry Wechsler
Epidemiology of Alcohol Uses Among College Students--Patrick O’Malley
Student Factors: Understanding Individual Variation in College Drinking--John Baer
Today’s First Year Students and Alcohol--Lee Upcraft
So What is An Administrator to Do?--Susan Murphy
College Factors Influencing Drinking--Phil Meilman and Cheryl Presley
A Developmental Perspective on Alcohol Use and Heavy Drinking during Adolescence and the Transition to Young Adulthood--John Schulenberg and Jennifer Maggs
Alcohol Use and Risky Sexual Behavior Among College Students--Lynne Cooper
Surveying the Damage: A Review of Research on Consequences of Alcohol Misuse in College Populations--Wesley Perkins
Alcohol and Aggression on College Campuses--Peter Giancola
Alcohol and Sexual Assault: A Common Problem Among College Students--Antonia Abbey
The Adolescent Brain and the College Drinker: Biological Bais of Propensity to Use and Misuse Alcohol--Linda Spear
Papers Commissioned by Panel 2: Prevention and Treatment
Individually Oriented Interventions--Mary Larimer
Campus Norm Setting--Wesley Perkins
Environmental Policy--Traci Toomey and Alexander Wagenaar
Effects of Uniform Age 21 Laws--Alexander Wagenaar and Traci Toomey
Comprehensive Interventions--Ralph Hingson
Advertising and Promotion--Henry Saffer
Methodology--Robert Saltz
Description of Ongoing Policies and Practices--William DeJong
Counter-Advertising and the Use of Media for Health Promotions--William DeJong
Student Perspectives--Peggy Eastman
Politics of Change and Leadership: Questions and Answers with College Presidents--Joy Mara
*full text of all papers can be found at www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov
Historical document Last reviewed: 9/23/2005
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