Abstract:

A problem facing American universities is heavy drinking by the student body which results in unintentional injuries and deaths, illegal offenses, sexual assault, altercations, and academic demise.  The relationship between the type of alcohol policy enacted on campus and alcohol consumption among undergraduate students attending 4-year public universities in the Midwestern U.S. was investigated. The social ecological model provided the theoretical foundation for this study. The social ecological model is the accepted model for heavy drinking on college campuses because it captures a broader view of behavior and development in relation to college students and heavy drinking.  A random sample of students from universities that have policies in place allowing the sale and use of alcohol in approved locations was compared to samples of students in universities that have policies in place prohibiting the sale and use of alcohol on campus. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to quantify drinking behaviors among students. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis that heavy drinking is associated with alcohol policy while adjusting for the effects of student characteristics. The type of policy in place (wet or dry) was not significant against the odds of heavy drinking (p = .323) after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, participation in sports, and participation in Greek organizations. Gender, age, and participation in sports were associated with heavy drinking while participation in Greek organizations was not. 

This study provides insight into the relationship of alcohol policy type to heavy drinking.   Since the results of the study demonstrate that alcohol policy alone is not effective in reducing the number of students who drink heavily, an environmental management model is necessary.  The five environmental strategies include (a)  promoting social, recreational, and public service opportunities to the students that do not include alcohol; (b) forming a social and academic environment that encourages and supports healthy behavior; (c)  limiting the accessibility of alcohol both off and on campus; (d)  restricting the marketing and promotion of alcohol on campus and during sports-related events. The community can also support this endeavor by eliminating alcohol promotions that include low-priced drink specials and (e) developing and enforcing alcohol policies on campus and local, state, and federal laws.  It also may be beneficial to create an alcohol intervention program targeted to high-risk groups rather than one universal program encompassing the entire student body.

Presentations and Publications:

Walter, G. (2011). The effectiveness of alcohol policies in 4-year public universities. Presented at the 62nd Annual Society for Public Health Education Conference, Arlington, VA.

Walter, G. (2011). The effectiveness of alcohol policies in 4-year public universities. Journal of Community Health (abstract).

Faculty Spotlight:

Dr. Walter received her Master of Public Health from Walden University in 2007 and her PhD in Public Health from Walden in 2010.  The emphasis of her PhD in Public Health is in Community Health Promotion and Education.    She is currently a faculty member at the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa and an online faculty member in the MPH program at Grand Canyon University.  She is involved in many professional organizations and enjoys volunteering her time on committees for the Iowa Public Health Association and the Iowa Society for Public Health Education (ISOPHE).