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Confirms Strong Link between Low-Priced Promotions and Heavier Drinking Among Students in First National, On-site Bar and Liquor Store Survey
BOSTON, MA (September 12, 2003) – Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) released today a new study documenting, through systematic on-site observations, the extent to which college students are targeted with sales of large volumes of alcohol (such as 24- and 30-can cases of beer, kegs, and “party balls”), low sale prices, and frequent alcohol promotions at bars, liquor stores, and other retail outlets surrounding college campuses. The study, which appears in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found a strong association between the presence of these promotions and higher rates of heavy drinking on college campuses.
According to previous CAS research, underage students consume 48 percent of all alcohol consumed on college campuses. The study paints a portrait of the alcohol promotions college students will likely encounter as they start school this fall and enumerates the typical price of a beer, which can be as cheap as 25 cents. This study marks the first time that trained observers went into bars and liquor stores surrounding college campuses to obtain a national picture of the marketing practices for alcohol in college communities without relying solely on student recall.
A second study also appearing in the journal found that drinking and driving was less prevalent on campuses in states that had more comprehensive laws and stronger enforcement capacity to restrict drinking and driving, underage drinking, and high volume consumption and sales of alcohol.
“The drinking lifestyle is a well-advertised and low-budget form of entertainment on college campuses,” said Henry Wechsler, PhD, Principal Investigator of the study and Director of College Alcohol Studies at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Our study confirms that the lower the prices and the more extensive the specials, the more heavy the drinking. What this means for programs to protect college students from destructive drinking and its consequences is clear. They have an uphill battle.”
“With its findings on the price and marketing sensitivity of high-risk, destructive binge drinking among college students, the Harvard study is testimony to the importance of a community-wide focus on behavior change strategies,” said J. Michael McGinnis, MD, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Group of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “These efforts must include not only college administrators and students, but local business and community leaders, civic organizations, and the alcohol industry as well.”
The study encompasses survey results from the 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, which gathered drinking information on more than 10,000 college students nationwide. Detailed information on prices, specials, and promotions at individual stores surrounding the college campuses was obtained from independent observations. In addition to the 118 colleges analyzed for this study, the researchers observed “on-premise” establishments—bars, clubs, and restaurants where alcohol is consumed on site—and “off-premise” establishments—retail outlets such as liquor stores, convenience stores, and groceries that sold alcohol that is consumed off-site. A total of 1,684 off-premise establishments and 830 on-premise establishments were observed. Field data collectors received more than 22 hours of training, including both classroom instruction and supervised observations in the community.
Marketing of low-price, high-volume beer and liquor at on- and off-premise establishments was positively associated with the average total number of drinks students consumed, according to the study.
In retail outlets, the average prices for 12-packs of beer and 24-packs of beer were $6.08 (ranging from $2.29 to $11.29) and $11.74 (ranging from $5.89 to $24.00) respectively. For 24-can cases of beer, the lower the price, the higher the college binge-drinking rate. There appeared to be no correlation between low average price and binge drinking for12-packs of beer. More than 60 percent of these retail outlets provided at least one type of beer promotion.
Among the bars, clubs, and restaurants surrounding college campuses, the prices for a single drink, pitcher, or “the largest volume” were significantly correlated with college binge drinking rates: the lower the average alcohol sale price among bars, clubs, and restaurants surrounding the college campus, the higher the college binge drinking rate. The presence of weekend beer specials was highly correlated with college binge drinking rates. Almost three quarters of on-premise establishments offered such weekend specials. Almost one half provided at least one type of beer promotion.
College student binge drinking, as defined by Wechsler and other public health researchers, is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks for men, and four or more drinks in a row for women. Research has shown that this style of binge drinking is associated with lower grades, vandalism, and physical and sexual violence.
The researchers conclude that efforts to reduce problems associated with college binge drinking have focused primarily on education and changes in student behavior. However, the results of this study suggest that the efforts to regulate marketing practices (e.g. sale prices, super-sized packaging, promotions, and exterior advertisements) may be important strategies.
“High volume, low-priced sales are an important factor in fueling destructive drinking practices,” added Wechsler.
State Laws Impact Collegiate Drinking and Driving
Comprehensive alcohol polices and their strong enforcement may help reduce drinking and driving among college students, according to the second article released today from the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study found that 3 of 10 students drove after drinking any amount of alcohol, and 1 of 10 drove after consuming more than five drinks. About one in four students rode with a driver who was high or drunk.
According to the study, “Drinking and driving behaviors are not distributed equally within the population of college students... Students who attend colleges in states that have more restrictions on underage drinking, high volume consumption, and sales of alcoholic beverages, and that devote more resources to enforcing drunk driving laws, report less drinking and driving.”
“State laws play a strong role in the level of drinking and driving at a college,” said Wechsler. “This is often overlooked.”
Joining Dr. Wechsler as authors of the study, “The Marketing of Alcohol to College Students,” were Meichum Kuo, ScD (Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Behavior, Boston, MA); Patty Greenberg, MA (The Battelle-Centers for Public Health, Research and Evaluation, Baltimore, MD); and Hang Lee, PhD (Harvard Medical School, MGH Biotstatistics Center, Boston, MA). Co-authors with Wechsler of the study, “Drinking and Driving Among College Students,” were Jae Eun Lee, DrPH, and Toben F. Nelson, MS (Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Behavior, Boston, MA) and Hang Lee, PhD (Massachusetts General Hospital).
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which funded both studies, is based in Princeton, N.J. RWJF is the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs. To this end, the Foundation supports scientifically valid, peer-reviewed research on the prevention and treatment of illegal and underage substance use, and the effects of substance abuse on the public's health and well-being. Further information can be found at: www.rwjf.org.
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