Binge drinking is associated with many short- and long-term negative consequences. Recent research suggests that nearly one-third of college students report binge drinking in the past two weeks. Not only is binge drinking associated with an increase in alcohol-related harms, but it is also associated with food disturbances, such as restricting calorie intake before, during, or after consuming alcohol. This is called food and alcohol disturbances (FAD), and among college students, FAD is associated with many negative consequences such as blackouts, physical altercations, and more. The primary reasons that students partake in FAD-intoxication are 1) to experience a quicker and greater alcohol intoxication and 2) to offset the calories consumed from alcohol.
The goal of this study is to provide insight into whether intervention efforts should target common time-invariant factors or time-variant factors and how they affect a student’s likelihood of engaging in FAD intoxication, heavy alcohol use, and related harms. Examples of time-invariant factors (between person levels) are genetics, environment, and individual characteristics. Examples of time-variant factors (within-person level) consist of attitude and stress. This study consisted of 461 college students from a university on the United States’ East Coast. Students completed three surveys. FAD intoxication, Alcohol Use, and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences were all measured.
This study was one of the first to examine the associations between FAD-intoxication and alcohol use and related negative consequences longitudinally. Results showed that higher levels of FAD intoxication were associated with greater alcohol use and related adverse impacts on a between-person level. As well as those who partake in FAD intoxication are at a greater risk of future alcohol use. FAD-intoxication should be considered in prevention and interventions targeting alcohol use among students who participate in binge drinking.
Takeaway: Higher levels of FAD-intoxication were associated with greater alcohol use and related negative consequences on a between-person level.