Blood (breath) Alcohol Content Levels on College Football Game Day

Introduction: Alcohol abuse in association with sporting events constitutes a serious public issue. However, most research conducted in this area has relied on self-reported measures which include inherent limitations. The purpose of this inquiry was to assess the Blood (breath) Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) rates of college football fans on game day and to determine their support for designating select tailgating areas which permit alcohol use. Methods: Researchers employed a time-series study design, collecting data at each of the home football games at a large university in the Midwest. The research team approached college football fans on campus 2.5 hours before game time until 15 minutes prior to kick-off. Upon giving consent, participants completed a brief survey and provided a breath sample via the AlcoScan AL-9000 breathalyzer. Results: Participants included 536 individuals (64.4% male) ages 18-83 (M=28.44, SD=12.32). Approximately, 90% (n=482) of the sample indicated they consumed alcohol prior to the game. The average BrAC for the entire sample was .061 mL/L (SD=.044) and 85.3% (n=457) revealed they support designating a select number of tailgating areas where alcohol consumption would be legal. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the majority of college football fans consume significant amounts of alcohol while tailgating on campus prior to the game. One way to minimize alcohol consumption involves limiting the number of areas where drinking is permitted on game day. College football fans appear to support such measures as long as alcohol consumption would be legal in select tailgating areas.