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Where's the party? An observational study of tailgating at a large university campus
Methods. Data collection occurred 30-150 minutes before kickoff. A pair of trained undergraduates was assigned to one of nine tailgate zones on and around campus, covering approximately 500 acres total. Each observer documented the demographic composition of each tailgate in their zone. Observers also noted if food, non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverages were visible, and the behaviors of individuals within each tailgate.
Results. Over 200 individual tailgates were observed across the nine data collection zones. Most tailgates had 6-20 people present, but almost a fifth had over 50 people. Alcohol was visible at nearly 90% of the tailgates, while non-alcoholic beverages were visible at about 70% of the tailgates and food was visible at 84% of the tailgates.
Most tailgaters were alumni or older adults (80%), but tailgate participation was geographically segregated by age, with two of the nine zones more likely to contain undergraduate student tailgates. Only about 5% of tailgates had at least one visibly drunk individual, but visible drunkenness was more prevalent at tailgates attended predominately by students.
Conclusions. Alcohol is highly prevalent at football tailgate parties. However, potentially high-risk drinking may be limited to specific tailgating areas around campus, which suggests a need for targeted prevention strategies.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyImplementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Explain the public health relevance of tailgating at a large university campus.
Describe patterns of football tailgating activities occurring on and around a college campus as a proxy indicator for environmental influences of high-risk drinking.
Keyword(s): College Students, Alcohol Use
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator of a federally funded grant examining the co-occurrence of alcohol and tobacco among emerging adults. I am also the co-chair of the high-risk drinking committee of the UT Wellness Network, a healthy campus coalition. My research focuses on the epidemiology and etiology of substance use among adolescents and young adults.
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.