Survey rates students' drinking behavior

A survey to be released in March by the Harvard School of Public Health gives a new perspective on binge drinking at colleges and universities across the country.

The study, “The State Sets the Rate,” finds a direct relationship between a state’s drinking policies and the rate of binge drinking at their higher-education institutions.

The study sampled students from 120 accredited colleges and universities in 40 states.

The Harvard School of Public Health defines binge drinking as four drinks in one sitting for women and five for men.

The eight states with four or more laws restricting alcohol sales and promotion have a binge drinking rate of 33.1 percent.

Those states with fewer than four laws have a rate of 48.3 percent.

“Having those laws in place and actually enforcing them does an effective job of limiting alcohol,” said Toben Nelson of the Harvard School of Public Health. “It is not surprising that you see less consumption and less harm that result.”

Nelson, who authored the report, said it also focused on binge drinking within the community because students are not buying the alcohol from the university or college.

“The community is important, and state policymakers and universities need to be partners in this,” he added.

The survey ranked North Carolina 34th out of 40 states by rate of binge drinking among college students and adults. The 40th state had the lowest rate of abuse.

“In some areas, we lack enforcement and others they are sufficient — it depends on the community,” said Chris Austin, substance abuse prevention health educator at N.C. State University.

Problems arise when students misunderstand state policies.

“I heard students express that they just didn’t know the policy ramifications,” Austin said.

Students learn about drinking policies during orientation, when they are focused on the overall college experience and neglect to learn about their school’s specific policies, he added.

The restrictions on drinking are influenced by culture and religion, Nelson said. The study found that the regions with the highest rate of abuse were in the Northeastern and central regions of the United States.

Nelson also cites the difference in behavior of underage drinkers and those of age.

Underage students tend to drink a greater quantity less frequently, while legal-aged students tend to drink less but more often, Nelson said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.