The Association between Food Security Status and Psychological Distress and Loneliness among Full-Time Undergraduate Students at a Minority-Serving Institution.

Little is known about the relationship of food security (FS) status with mental health among students at minority-serving institutions. We aimed to elucidate the association of FS status with psychological distress and loneliness among full-time undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution. We used data from the National Collegiate Health Assessment III (n = 441).

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of subsidized ridesharing as a drunk driving intervention in Columbus, OH.

Background: No economic evaluations exist of free or subsidized ridesharing services designed to reduce impaired driving.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects and economics of a 17-weekend program that provided rideshare coupons good for free one-way or round trips to/from the hospitality zones in Columbus, Ohio, coupled with a modest increase in enforcement and a media campaign that used messaging about enforcement to promote usage.

Methods: Web surveys of riders and intercept surveys of foot traffic in the hospitality zones yielded data on the reduction in driving after drinking and the change in alcohol consumption associated with coupon use.

Alcohol Consumption, Dating Relationships, and Preliminary Sexual Outcomes in Collegiate Natural Drinking Groups.

This study tested the effects of committed relationships and presence of dates on alcohol consumption and preliminary sexual outcomes in natural drinking groups (NDGs). Undergraduate drinkers ( = 302) answered an online questionnaire on their most recent participation in a NDG. The interaction between relationship commitment and presence of a date on alcohol consumption was significant.

The influence of status on group drinking by young adults: a survey of natural drinking groups on their way to and from bars.

Background: Young people's social standing among friends and peers has been linked to general levels of drinking and has been shown to influence others' drinking. We extend previous research by examining young adults' status within their natural-occurring drinking groups as a predictor of their subsequent alcohol consumption and encouragement of group members' alcohol consumption during a night out at licensed drinking establishments, a salient context for heavy drinking and alcohol-related risk among young adults.

Methods: We recruited same-sex young adult drinking groups (n = 104 groups; 63 all-male; average group size = 3.

Alcohol intoxication and occasional smoking: a field investigation.

Objectives: To test the relationship between alcohol intoxication and smoking behaviors in a field sample of 1139 young adults.

Methods: A self-administered survey and an objective measure of intoxication were used for data collection. We tested the relationship between smoking status and alcohol intoxication as well as the relationship between alcohol intoxication and smoking behaviors/intentions among occasional smokers.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and past-year smoking initiation in a sample of undergraduates.

Background: Although most young people begin smoking before the age of 18, the results of a growing number of recent studies have shown a sizable minority of college students initiate smoking while in college. Moreover, the use of alcohol by college students has been linked to smoking initiation in some studies in the literature.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between past-year drinking frequency and past-year smoking initiation among a sample of college students.

Salvia divinorum: effects and use among YouTube users.

Salvia divinorum (salvia) is an intense, short-acting hallucinogenic plant gaining popularity among adolescents in the United States. There has been little scientific documentation of salvia's effects. The popular video-sharing website YouTube has received literally thousands of video-posts of people using salvia.

Predictors of error in estimates of blood alcohol concentration: a replication.

Objective: To identify predictors of error in estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) in a sample of bar patrons.

Method: Six hundred sixty-six patrons (43.6% female) were randomly sampled from 32 bars.

"My drink is larger than yours"? A literature review of self-defined drink sizes and standard drinks.

National health offices define drink sizes to establish guidelines for alcohol use. International variations exist in the limits and drink sizes recommended. Surveys assessing drinking levels rely on the notion of standard drink when enquiring about participants' alcohol consumption and international comparisons are difficult because of the various definitions of one standard drink.

Effects of residential learning communities on drinking trajectories during the first two years of college.

Objective: Participation in residential learning communities (RLCs) is associated with lower rates of alcohol consumption among college students. This study used variable- and pattern-centered analytic approaches to examine the influence of RLCs on the drinking behavior of students during their first 2 years in college.

Method: A Web-based survey was administered to a stratified random sample of 1,196 first-year students (51.

Standardized measures of alcohol-related problems: a review of their use among college students.

College students' alcohol consumption has received considerable attention in the scientific literature and the media for its impact on students and the college community. Misuse of alcohol can lead to a wide range of consequences, the most severe being alcohol abuse, dependence, and death. Researchers have struggled to develop effective methods to assess problems related to alcohol, and the literature on college drinking lacks a strong theoretical framework for such assessment.

Three exploratory studies of college theme parties.

Introduction And Aims: The objectives of this exploratory research were to (1) explore the characteristics and risks associated with college theme parties, (2) assess differences in risk associated with college theme parties compared to non-theme parties and (3) to assess differences in risk associated with risqué theme parties as compared to non-risqué theme parties.

Design And Methods: We used a mixed methods design. Results are presented from three exploratory studies of alcohol consumption in college theme parties: (1) four qualitative focus groups of students who have attended such events, (2) a web-based survey and (3) a multi-level (observational, survey, breath blood alcohol samples) study of 226 college parties, 29 of which were themed events.

Heavy episodic drinking and its consequences: the protective effects of same-sex, residential living-learning communities for undergraduate women.

Gender and living environment are two of the most consistent factors associated with heavy episodic drinking on college campuses. This study aimed to determine group differences in alcohol misuse and its attendant consequences between undergraduate women living in four distinct on-campus residential environments. A Web-based survey was self-administered to a stratified random sample of full-time students attending a large Midwestern University, and living in four distinct on-campus residential environments: 1) single-sex (all female) residential learning communities (RLCs), 2) mixed-sex (male and female) RLCs, 3) single-sex (all female) non-RLCs and 4) mixed-sex (male and female) non-RLCs.

Breath alcohol concentrations of college students in field settings: seasonal, temporal, and contextual patterns.

Objective: Seasonality in alcohol consumption has implications for epidemiology and prevention. In this research we examined seasonal, temporal, and contextual variation in drinking among college students at a large West Coast university.

Method: We used a field survey (across a 3-year period) to collect anonymous breath alcohol concentrations from students sampled randomly as they walked on and near the campus on weekend nights.

College student use of Salvia divinorum.

Objective: Salvia divinorum (salvia) is a plant that appears to be enjoying increased popularity as a legal hallucinogen in many U.S. jurisdictions.

Measuring college students' alcohol consumption in natural drinking environments: field methodologies for bars and parties.

In recent years researchers have paid substantial attention to the issue of college students' alcohol use. One limitation to the current literature is an over reliance on retrospective, self-report survey data. This article presents field methodologies for measuring college students' alcohol consumption in natural drinking environments.

Reasons for nonresponse in a web-based survey of alcohol involvement among first-year college students.

This study conducted a follow-up telephone survey of a probability sample of college students who did not respond to a Web survey to determine correlates of and reasons for nonresponse. A stratified random sample of 2502 full-time first-year undergraduate students was invited to participate in a Web-based survey. A random sample of 221 students who did not respond to the original Web survey completed an abbreviated version of the original survey by telephone.

Alcohol involvement and participation in residential learning communities among first-year college students.

Objective: Residential learning communities (RLCs) on U.S. college campuses are assumed to build connections between formal learning opportunities and students' living environment.

The relationship between alcohol use and cigarette smoking in a sample of undergraduate college students.

During the decade of the 1990s, smoking prevalence increased nearly 30% in the college student population. Although most college students initiate smoking before the age of 18, recent evidence suggests a sizable minority of undergraduates report starting smoking while in college. This study examined the concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco as well as the relationship between alcohol use and smoking initiation among a sample of undergraduate students attending a large public university in the southwestern United States.

Environmental and individual predictors of error in field estimates of blood alcohol concentration: a multilevel analysis.

Objective: Using self-report survey data and measures of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), this study examined the validity of an estimate of blood alcohol concentration (eBAC). Differences between eBAC and BrAC were modeled to identify sources of error related to survey-derived eBAC. Further, using hierarchical multilevel analyses, environmental event characteristics were examined as sources of eBAC error.

Drivers within natural drinking groups: an exploration of role selection, motivation, and group influence on driver sobriety.

Young people consume alcohol almost exclusively in social contexts, but natural drinking group dynamics are poorly understood. Our research focuses on the drivers' role within natural drinking groups. We conducted breath-test surveys of existing groups of young people at the US/Mexico border crossing before they headed to Tijuana bars, and surveyed them again upon their return.

The efficacy of experimental interventions designed to reduce drinking among designated drivers.

Objective: Designated drivers are a popular strategy for avoiding drunk driving. However, studies have demonstrated that the strategy is often implemented poorly, resulting in diminished risk-reduction effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of six interventions designed to reduce alcohol consumption among designated drivers.

The sidewalk survey: a field methodology to measure late-night college drinking.

Alcohol use is highly prevalent among U.S. college students, and alcohol-related problems are often considered the most serious public health threat on American college campuses.

Reducing DUI among US college students: results of an environmental prevention trial.

Aims: Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol is among the most common and serious alcohol-related problems experienced by US college students. Community-based prevention trials using environmental approaches to DUI prevention have been effective in reducing DUI. Such interventions remain untested in college settings.