H Wechsler,
G W Dowdall,
A Davenport and
S Castillo
Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
OBJECTIVES. This study examines the individual correlates ofcollege student binge drinking. METHODS. Questionnaires werecompleted by a representative national sample (n = 17,592) ofstudents on 140 campuses in 1993. Binge drinking was definedas five or more drinks per episode for men and as four or moredrinks per episode for women. RESULTS. Overall, 44% of the students(50% of the men and 39% of the women) binged. While demographicfactors such as sex and race were significantly related to bingedrinking, prior binging in high school was crucial, suggestingthat for many students, binge drinking begins before college.The strongest predictors of college binge drinking were residencein a fraternity or sorority, adoption of a party-centered life-style,and engagement in other risky behaviors. CONCLUSIONS. Interventionsmust be targeted at high school binge drinking as well as atseveral characteristics of college life--most notably fraternityresidence. Legal drinking age fails to predict binge drinking,raising questions about the effectiveness of the legal minimumdrinking age of 21 in college alcohol policies.
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