142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Comparison of alcohol-related problems between college and non-college young adult populations

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Jessica Musselman, MS, PhD , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Lindsey Fabian, MPH , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Traci L. Toomey, PhD , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Jean Forster, PhD, MPH , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN
Darin J. Erickson, PhD , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Toben F. Nelson, ScD , Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)

Background: Consumption of alcohol is associated with problems such as drinking and driving, injuries, property damage, and unprotected sex. Understanding the differences in alcohol-related problems experienced by college and non-college populations can inform policies and other types of interventions.

Methods: We assessed drinking behaviors and alcohol-related problems in 1,910 participants who were part of a U.S. population-based cohort study. All participants were between the ages of 20 and 27 and were placed into either the “college group” (in college or completed at least a four year degree, n=551) or the “non-college group” (not currently in college and had not already completed college, n=1,359). Self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems (e.g. damaging property or needing medical attention for an alcohol overdose) for college and non-college groups were compared across three surveys that spanned two years.

Results:  High-risk drinking was higher among the college group initially, but the rates converged over time. However, a higher percentage of the non-college group reported experiencing more alcohol-related problems than the college group (10% of college group reported 3+ problems vs. 20% of the non-college group). Additional results will be reported, including multivariate analyses.

Conclusion: Although high-risk drinking tends to be higher in the college group, individuals in the non-college group tended to report experiencing more alcohol-related problems. Gaining an understanding of the drivers behind these differences will be important for developing effective interventions.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe overall trends in high-risk drinking of young adults across education categories. Compare differences in rates of alcohol-related problems between young adults who are attending or completed college vs. those who have not attended college. Discuss potential explanations for the higher rates of alcohol-related problems among the non-college group

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in multiple analyses using data from this study as well as multiple other epidemiologic studies for the past 6 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4099.0: Alcohol Use and Related Harms Among the Youth Population