Alcohol-related unintentional injury among college athletes

While it is widely accepted that collegiate athletes are at greater risk of suffering an alcohol-related unintentional injury (ARUI), no study has attempted to measure the prevalence of this consequence of alcohol use by collegiate athletes. A survey was conducted at eight colleges and universities across all three NCAA divisions, and valid responses were received from 1,421 collegiate athletes. In addition to demographic data describing the problem of ARUI, the overall prevalence of ARUI in this sample was 17.7%. Additionally, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was administered as part of the survey and revealed that collegiate athletes scoring in the Moderate Risk category (AUDIT score: 8 – 15) were 3.39 times more likely to have experienced an ARUI. Collegiate athletes scoring in the High Risk category (AUDIT score: 16+) were 6.15 times more likely to have experienced an ARUI. The results of this study indicate that ARUI is a significant problem in the collegiate athlete population and highlights the need and benefit of screening and brief intervention for alcohol use problems in this population. A second study currently in press in the Journal of Athletic Training surveyed 459 collegiate certified athletic trainers (AT) and found 56% of the respondents had seen an ARUI in the previous academic year (2010-2011) and on average each AT had seen three ARUI's. The results of this study provide perspective for the study above and identifies AT's as important health-care providers in screening and intervention for alcohol use problems in collegiate athletes.