College Students Define Binge Drinking and Estimate Its Prevalence: Results of a National Survey
Abstract
Data from the 1999 College Alcohol Study were used to examine how students define the term binge drinking, to determine how much binge drinking the students think exists on their campuses, and to analyze how students' estimates compare with aggregated self-reports of student drinking. The findings indicate that the median of the students' definitions of binge drinking is 6 drinks in a row for men and 5 for women, 1 drink higher than the definition used by researchers. Students' definitions of binge drinking vary with their own drinking levels, suggesting that dissenting views of the research definition may represent voices of the heaviest drinkers. At the median, students estimated that 35% of all students were binge drinkers. Half (47%) of the students underestimated the binge drinking rate at their school, 29% overestimated it, and 13% were accurate. Although programs designed to reduce the frequency or prevalence of binge drinking by emphasizing healthier norms would be most useful in addressing binge drinkers who overestimate drinking norms, this group includes only 13% of college students.
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- Authors
- Wechsler, H., & Kuo, M.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of American College Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2000-09-01
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 57-64
- ISSN
- 0164-4300 (ISSN-L)
- 0744-8481
- 1940-3208
- OpenAlex
- W2033977875
- Cited by
- 192
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 7.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of American College Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Lifestyle Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Keywords
- binge drinking, university students, alcohol use prevalence, self-reported drinking, gender differences in drinking
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Alcoholic Intoxication, Data Collection, Female, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Students, United States, Universities, Prevalence, Multivariate Analysis, Logistic Models, Sex Distribution, Risk Assessment
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