Many recent studies have supported that college drinking is a significant public health concern. 50.1% of 18–25-year-olds reported using alcohol in the past month and 29.2% reported binge drinking in the past month in 2021. This study aims to determine engagement characteristics and whether engagement in an adaptive preventive intervention (API) was associated with reduced binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Something to remember is that the intervention’s effect depends on the pattern of participant engagement.
This study also had three aims: to identify characteristics associated with engagement in the intervention. Aim 2 was to examine the effect of engagement on binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences among intervention participants. Aim three was to investigate the impact of engaging in the API compared to the control group. In this study, 891 students from large Midwestern universities completed surveys. The students were randomly assigned to an assessment control condition in which they received no API, while the other 2/3 received the API. In this study, there were two stages of the API. Demographics, Mental Health, Alcohol-related, and attitudes/beliefs were all measured in this study.
The results support that common risk factors for alcohol use in young adulthood consist of prior binge drinking, social norms that encourage heavy drinking, and being a fraternity or sorority member. The 2/3 of the students who engaged with the intervention content had significantly greater outcomes than the other 1/3 that did not engage with the APIs, although those with the most significant risk were least likely to encounter. Future studies could help determine the gaps regarding the complementation and full engagement of APIs designed to reduce alcohol-related harms on college campuses.
Takeaway: The results support that common risk factors for alcohol use in young adulthood consist of prior binge drinking, social norms that encourage heavy drinking, and being a member of a fraternity or sorority.