Results and Recommendations From the NIAAA Task Force on College Drinking:
New Opportunities for Research and Program Planning
Treating Addictions in Special Populations: Research Confronts Reality
October 7 and 8, 2002
Binghamton Regency Conference Center
Binghamton, New York
Fred Donodeo, MPA
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, MD
Contact: Fred_Donodeo@nih.gov
Why Was the Task Force Created?
Increasing Public and NIAAA Concern
Congressional Inquiries
Gaps in Research
Need to provide science-based
information to colleges
Bring research to the forefront of the
discussion
Composition of Task Force
15 College Presidents
17 researchers
8 college students
4 High School Students
Chairs:
Rev. Edward Malloy (U.N.D.)
Dr. Mark Goldman (U.S.F.)
Task Force Goals
Provide new, comprehensive data on the
extent of the problem
Advise NIAAA and other policymakers on
gaps in knowledge to inform future research
to improve campus prevention and treatment
programs
Provide presidents, policymakers, and
researchers with information and
recommendations on the effectiveness of
current interventions and encourage them to
embrace rigorous methodology and
research-based solutions in general
Why is the Task Force Unique?
First project of such length (3 years) involving
presidents and researchers who deliberated
to reach their conclusions
First NIH report on college drinking to offer
recommendations based on a
comprehensive review of the research
literature
First report to offer tiered, research-based
recommendations to presidents and staff
Offers a comprehensive research agenda to
address gaps in knowledge
Task Force Products
Task Force Report
Two Panel Reports
24 scientific papers (see handout):
1 published in the Journal on Alcohol Studies
18 published in a supplement to the Journal on Alcohol Studies
Brochures for parents, presidents, and
RAs/Peer Educators
Planning Guide for college staff on how to
implement and evaluate intervention
programs
Web site
CD - Rom
Major Sections of the Task Force Report
Extent of the Problem
Research-based recommendations
for Presidents
Recommendations for future research
Research Recommendations for
NIAAA
Magnitude of College Drinking Consequences
(all statistics are annual)
Research-based Recommendations for Presidents and Programming Staff
3 in 1 Framework
“Tier” Approach
The 3 – in – 1 Framework
The 3-in-1 Framework is a useful introduction to encourage presidents, administrators, college prevention specialists, students, and community members to think in a broad and comprehensive fashion about college drinking.
Individuals, including at-risk or
alcohol-dependent drinkers
Student body as a whole
College and Surrounding
community
Task Force Recommendations
Tier 1: Evidence of Effectiveness Among College Students
Tier 2: Evidence of Success With
General Populations That
Could Be Applied to College Environments
Tier 3: Evidence of Logical and Theoretical Promise,
But Require More Comprehensive Evaluation
Tier 4: Evidence of Ineffectiveness
Recommendations for the Research Community
High priority on evaluation research
Well-designed evaluation studies…
Increase likelihood of program effectiveness
Maximize use of resources
Validate program credibility
Extract more and better information
from existing research databases
Develop standards for assessing
campus alcohol problems,
monitoring trends, and evaluating
programs
Improve existing data systems
(e.g. FARS) to more accurately
monitor college drinking deaths over time
Collaborate with universities to
capitalize on “natural experiments”
Partner with universities on short-term
evaluations of popular, common-
sense prevention strategies
Assist universities in using research-
based evidence to improve alcohol
policies and programs
Recommendations to NIAAA: Improving Research Methods
Implement a national surveillance
and data system for all U.S.
colleges and universities
Support development of state-of-
the - art screening and assessment
measures
Recommendations to NIAAA: Lengthy and Complex Research
Longitudinal studies of youth – early
adolescence to young adulthood
Measuring effectiveness of campus-
community coalitions
Multi-site campus trials of promising
strategies
Other Task Force Recommendations to NIAAA
Disseminate research-based
information to all college campuses
Expand funding to support college
drinking research on as many
campuses as possible
Ongoing NIAAA Activities
Web site
Regional Workshops
Annual updates
Research funding available from
NIAAA: $ 8 million over next two
years
Conclusion
Task Force conclusions are not an
end, but a beginning
Provides the foundation for
science, rather than anecdote, to
guide college drinking prevention
efforts
Scientific Papers
Commissioned by
The
NIAAA Task Force
On College Drinking
Papers Commissioned by Panel 1: Contexts and Consequences
Magnitude of Alcohol Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24--Ralph Hingson, et al.
Measuring College Alcohol Use and Abuse The Method Shapes the Message--George Dowdall and Henry Wechsler
Epidemiology of Alcohol Uses Among College Students--Patrick O’Malley
Student Factors: Understanding Individual Variation in College Drinking--John Baer
Today’s First Year Students and Alcohol--Lee Upcraft
So What is An Administrator to Do?--Susan Murphy
College Factors Influencing Drinking--Phil Meilman and Cheryl Presley
A Developmental Perspective on Alcohol Use and Heavy Drinking during Adolescence and the Transition to Young Adulthood--John Schulenberg and Jennifer Maggs
Alcohol Use and Risky Sexual Behavior Among College Students--Lynne Cooper
Surveying the Damage: A Review of Research on Consequences of Alcohol Misuse in College Populations--Wesley Perkins
Alcohol and Aggression on College Campuses--Peter Giancola
Alcohol and Sexual Assault: A Common Problem Among College Students--Antonia Abbey
The Adolescent Brain and the College Drinker: Biological Bais of Propensity to Use and Misuse Alcohol--Linda Spear
Papers Commissioned by Panel 2: Prevention and Treatment
Individually Oriented Interventions--Mary Larimer
Campus Norm Setting--Wesley Perkins
Environmental Policy--Traci Toomey and Alexander Wagenaar
Effects of Uniform Age 21 Laws--Alexander Wagenaar and Traci Toomey
Comprehensive Interventions--Ralph Hingson
Advertising and Promotion--Henry Saffer
Methodology--Robert Saltz
Description of Ongoing Policies and Practices--William DeJong
Counter-Advertising and the Use of Media for Health Promotions--William DeJong
Student Perspectives--Peggy Eastman
Politics of Change and Leadership: Questions and Answers with College Presidents--Joy Mara
*full text of all papers can be found at www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov