Cited by 1,184Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesTraffic and Road SafetyInjury Epidemiology and Prevention

Magnitude of and Trends in Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24, 1998-2005

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Hingson, Ralph W, Zha, Wenxing, Weitzman, Elissa R·2009·Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate, among college students ages 18-24, the numbers of alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths and other problems over the period from 1998 through 2005. METHOD: The analysis integrated data on 18- to 24-year-olds and college students from each of the following data sources: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Mortality Data, National Coroner Studies, census and college enrollment data, the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the College Alcohol Study. RESULTS: Among college students ages 18-24, alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths increased 3% per 100,000 from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. From 1999 to 2005, the proportions of college students ages 18-24 who reported consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month increased from 41.7% to 44.7%, and the proportions who drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year increased from 26.5% to 28.9%-7% and 9% proportional increases, respectively. The increases occurred among college students ages 21-24, not 18-20. In 2001, 599,000 (10.5%) full-time 4-year college students were injured because of drinking, 696,000 (12%) were hit or assaulted by another drinking college student, and 97,000 (2%) were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. A 2005 follow-up of students in schools with the highest proportions of heavy drinkers found no significant changes in the proportions experiencing these events. CONCLUSIONS: The persistence of college drinking problems underscores an urgent need to implement prevention and counseling approaches identified through research to reduce alcohol-related harms among college students and other young adults.

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Crossref · 10.15288/jsads.2009.s16.12

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  • Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) is associated with frequent alcohol use.

    “Emerging adulthood (i.e., ages 18-25) is a developmental phase associated with frequent alcohol and cannabis use, placing this population at risk for substance use problems.”

    From Examining the Prospective Associations Between Mindfulness Facets and Substance Use in Emerging Adulthood. (2021) · cites this paper as Hingson et al., 2009

    The ‘Heavy episodic drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol’ section reports that roughly 40% of 18-to-24-year-olds, both in and out of college, consumed five or more drinks on an occasion in the previous 30 days. This supports the alcohol-use point for ages 18–24, but the paper does not cover age 25 or characterize emerging adulthood as a developmental phase. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • The highest rates of alcohol use occur among emerging adults.

    “In general, the highest rates of alcohol use occur among emerging adults (Hingson et al., 2009; Johnston et al., 2015).”

    From Examining the Prospective Associations Between Mindfulness Facets and Substance Use in Emerging Adulthood. (2021) · cites this paper as Hingson et al., 2009

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports substantial heavy episodic drinking among 18-to-24-year-olds. The paper compares groups within that age range, but the passages do not establish that emerging adults have the highest rates of alcohol use relative to other age groups. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. GOLDMAN, M.S., BOYD, G.M., AND FADEN, V. (Eds.) College Drinking, What It Is, and What To Do about It: A Review of the State of the Science. J. Stud. Alcohol, Supplement No. 14, 2002.

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Authors
Hingson, R. W., Zha, W., & Weitzman, E. R.
Affiliations
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (US)
Venue
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement
Published
2009-07
Issue
s16
Pages
12-20
ISSN
  • 1946-584X (ISSN-L)
  • 1946-5858
OpenAlex
W2096599071
Cited by
1,184
References
21
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 89 · 2017: 81 · 2016: 115 · 2015: 113 · 2014: 116 · 2013: 125 · 2012: 95
FWCI
51.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs Supplement (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Traffic and Road Safety
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
Keywords
university students, alcohol-related mortality, alcohol-related injuries, binge drinking, drunk driving, date rape, assault, young adults, alcohol prevention
MeSH terms
Accidents, Traffic, Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Automobile Driving, Cause of Death, Health Surveys, Humans, Mortality, Students, United States, Universities, Wounds and Injuries, Prevalence, Age Distribution, Risk Assessment, Censuses, Alcohol-Related Disorders, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (U.S.), Young Adult

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