Alcohol consumption among college students is a significant public health issue and can impact students’ health and academic performance. Event-specific drinking is a particular concern as college students tend to drink excessively surrounding special events such as New Year’s Eve, 21st birthdays, etc. College football games are another example of event specific drinking. May students attend tailgate parties which are defined as social gatherings in which food or drinks are consumed in or near a parking lot before, during, or after a football game. These events can often lead to dangerous levels of alcohol consumption. This study examines the prevalence of alcohol use among college students on game-days, negative alcohol-related consequences, and policies specific to college sporting events.
This critical literature review included 25 articles identified from 10 databases using specific search parameters. Among the articles included eighteen were cross-sectional, three were case studies, two were mixed methods, one was time-series, and one primarily analyzed secondary data. In each of the articles authors included information about alcohol-related outcomes associated with college football games. Outcomes assessed included alcohol consumption behaviors, alcohol-related consequences, attitudes towards game-day alcohol use, perceived drinking norms, and alcohol prevention strategies. Articles were categorized and emerging themes were identified.
Results of the data analysis showed that approximately 45% of fans drank alcohol on game-days and many of them consumed a higher number of drinks then on a typical drinking occasion. One study found that drinking rates of college students were heaviest on days of high-profile games. Many of the studies found that drinking on game days was associated with negative alcohol-related consequences such as crimes, alcohol possession cases, hangover, and memory loss. College students tended to underestimate the number of tailgate attendees who consumed alcohol and overestimate the amount of alcohol consumed. When examining alcohol policies, one study found that an alcohol ban at sporting events had little effect on the risk of alcohol-related emergency department visits.
Takeaway: Identifying alcohol use patterns of college students during college sporting events may provide predictive value when developing prevention efforts.