College students' provision of alcohol to underage peers

Underage drinking is a pervasive public health problem. Important strides have been made over the past decade to reduce youth access to alcohol from commercial sources, such as bars, restaurants, package stores, and convenience stores. However, parallel efforts to reduce access to alcohol through social sources have not occurred. Research is needed to understand the dynamics of social availability of alcohol to underage persons. This study is the first to examine college students' provision of alcohol to their underage peers. Data are from a web-based survey of 4263 undergraduates at 10 North Carolina universities participating in the Study to Reduce Alcohol-Related Consequences (SPARC). The survey included a question about whether the student had provided an alcoholic beverage to someone under 21 in the 30 days preceding the survey. Rates of past 30-day providing varied dramatically across the 10 schools, ranging from 12% to 28%; overall, 23% of students reported providing. Student characteristics associated with providing included being male (OR=1.51, p<.001), not being a freshman (OR=1.65; p<.001), belonging to a fraternity or sorority (OR=1.48; p<.01), higher paternal education (OR=1.40; p=.001), binge drinking (OR=2.24, p<.001), getting drunk (OR=2.35, p<.001), past 30-day marijuana use (OR=1.69, p<.001). Implications for preventive interventions are discussed.