Assessment of undergraduate student alcohol behaviors by Greek and non-Greek affiliation

Abstract

Drinking patterns in young adults are associated with a variety of risky behaviors with both acute and long-term consequences. Some of the negative consequences associated with binge drinking patterns include suboptimal academic performance, increased risk of bodily harm, and an elevated risk for many health complications. A minority of campuses in the United States have adopted a dry campus organization for a number of reasons, including an attempt at decreasing the number of students participating in binge drinking by eliminating the possibility of consuming alcohol on campus. Oklahoma State University (OSU) is one such university.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of data available to describe the behavior of students attending dry campuses, so the validity of a dry campus organization can not be affirmed. By collecting data from dry campuses, the legitimacy of such an approach to reduce undergraduate alcohol consumption can be determined. This information could lead to the opportunity to enhance resources for alcohol education or identify specific student populations that may be at an increased risk for participation in heavy drinking. In this study, the primary focus is simply to assess the amount of alcohol consumed and in what frequency to assess the rate of binge drinking occurring at OSU, but also to identify certain demographic and other factors, such as fraternity/sorority affiliation, that have been previously implicated as risk factors for consuming excess alcohol. An increased understanding of the factors contributing to excess alcohol consumption is vital to properly understanding the etiology of excess alcohol consumption, the extent of student binge drinking occurring, and what areas of student life can be addressed to alleviate this issue.