Hosting Non-University Guests and Party-Related Drinking Behaviors of College Students.

Background: Hosting non-university guests is common among college students, especially during sports and traditional party weekends. However, the effect of non-university guests - a common social reference group - on host-students' drinking behaviors is not well understood.

Method: Data was drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted at a public Midwestern university (N=2,951; Mage=20 years) from 2005-2007. Results: Participants who hosted non-university guests tended to be younger in age, male, of white racial background, members of athletic teams, had younger ages of drinking onset, and were more likely to reside off-campus as compared to non-hosts. Host-students also had significantly elevated risk for engaging in heavy party-related drinking while hosting non-university guests, and were more likely to report similar risky drinking behaviors among other party-attendees. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence from this study suggests that college-based prevention efforts would benefit from specifically targeting students who are more likely to host non-university guests.