Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #118158

Gail M. Cohen, MD, MS¹, Thomas McCoy, MS², Morrow Reeves Omli, MAEd, CSAC³, Scott D. Rhodes, PhD, MPH, CHES⁴, Kimberly G. Wagoner, MPH⁴, Mark Wolfson, PhD⁵, and Robert DuRant, PhD⁶. (1) General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Watlington Hall, 2nd Floor, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, 336-716-9661, gcohen@wfubmc.edu, (2) Biostatistics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, MRI, 3rd Floor, Room 318, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, (3) Public Health Sciences/Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 2000 West First Street, Piedmont Plaza II, 2nd Floor, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, (4) Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Section on Social Sciences and Health Policy, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, (5) Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School Medicine, 2000 West First Street, Piedmont Plaza II, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, (6) Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157

Background: Although both men and women college students experience negative consequences due to alcohol consumption, men have been shown to experience more consequences. However, characteristics of college women who experience alcohol-related consequences and correlates of these negative outcomes have not been extensively studied.

Methods: A web-based survey was administered to a stratified random sample of 3920 college students from ten universities in North Carolina in the fall of 2003 measuring alcohol and other health risk behaviors, and consequences thereof. A consequences scale was examined from 25 negative consequences using principal components. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests and robust methods for multiple mixed modeling regression to adjust for consequence outliers and to account for within college correlation of students.

Results: 1559 of the respondents were female current drinkers (past 30 day use). Mean age was 19.5 years (±2.4; range 17-30); 83% self-reported their race/ethnicity as white; 7% as African-American/black; 53%, 20%, 14%, and 13% were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, respectively. From the multivariable mixed modeling, these characteristics were among those associated with significantly higher total consequences: getting drunk more frequently (P<0.01), binge drinking in the past 30 days (P<0.01), past 30 days cigarette (P=0.01) or marijuana use (P<0.01), past use of other illegal drugs (P<0.01), increased number of sexual partners (P<0.01), living on campus (P=0.02), and self perception of being a heavier drinker (P<0.01).

Conclusions: College women who are current drinkers experience negative consequences due to alcohol consumption; experiencing more alcohol-related consequences is associated with other health risk behaviors.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe characteristics of college women who are current alcohol drinkers
• Identify characteristics of college women who are current drinkers that are associated with experiencing more alcohol-related negative consequences
• Recognize the need for further understanding of these characteristics in future research

Keywords: Alcohol Use, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.