It is common knowledge that college students use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, but what is not well known is how to best collect data on the prevalence of use. A study to attempt one method of doing so took place in university student health centers at two large universities in New York.
This study included 502 students. The students who participated completed questionnaires on computer tablets while waiting for a medical appointment with a primary care provider. The study included the Substance Use Brief Screen (SUBS) and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). These questionnaires asked about tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. After completion of the surveys, the students saw their screening results, and had the choice whether they wanted to share the results with their provider or not.
Out of all of the students who completed the study, 43.8% chose to share their screening results with their provider. After analyzing the results of those who chose to withhold their results, it was found that they were likely to be the students with moderate-high risk use of tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs.
This study suggested that self-administration of drug screenings is received well by students and is practical in student health centers. However, it is concerning that students at the highest risk may be less likely to disclose their screening results. It is important to focus on reaching those high-risk students to provide other resources; and increasing the effectiveness of drug screenings for those individuals is an important goal for the future.
This study was successful in gathering detailed information on student substance use, and included a large and somewhat diverse sample size. However, the outcome of the option to withhold screening results leads to potential for more research and growth in the area of reaching students who are at risk. There is also a need for research on what action the primary care providers take when they receive a student’s drug screening information.
Take away: Self-administered computer drug screenings were received well by students in the waiting rooms of university student health centers. However, when given the choice to disclose substance use results to their provider, students who are at higher risk tend to choose not to.