Examining alcohol use among college students: Is it time for a new approach to identify risky drinking behavior?

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how"binge drinking" may inefficiently identify college students who are in need of alcohol-related services. Methods: Using data collected from the 2010 National College Health Assessment II (NCHA-II), the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of binge drinking was analyzed relative to experiencing major negative alcohol-related consequences in the previous 12 months. Results: Despite a considerable mathematical advantage, binge drinking demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.80 and a specificity of 0.69. Additionally, more than 56% of the sample who were identified as binge drinkers did not experience a major negative consequence in the previous 12 months. Conclusions: Indices constructed solely of frequency, quantity and duration items have a limited capacity to discriminate at-risk college drinkers from the general student body. New measures comprised of novel drinking behaviors are necessary to properly identify students at highest risk. The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented/reported in this presentation are those of the author(s), and are in no way meant to represent the corporate opinions, views, or policies of the American College Health Association (ACHA). ACHA does not warrant nor assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this presentation.