Elsevier

Health & Place

Volume 9, Issue 1, March 2003, Pages 1-6
Health & Place

The relationship of alcohol outlet density to heavy and frequent drinking and drinking-related problems among college students at eight universities

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353-8292(02)00014-XGet rights and content

Abstract

To determine whether alcohol outlet density was correlated with heavy and frequent drinking and drinking-related problems, we compared ecological measures of outlet density with survey measures of drinking using a geographic information system and the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (n=3,421, site n=8). We identified 966 outlets within 8 2-mile study areas. Densities/site ranged from 32 to 185. Density was correlated with heavy drinking (r=0.82, p=0.01), frequent drinking (r=0.73, p=0.04) and drinking-related problems (r=0.79, p=0.02). Women, underage students and students who picked up binge drinking in college were affected. Implications for prevention and research are discussed.

Introduction

Features of local alcohol economies, in addition to characteristics of drinkers, may influence drinking behavior among college students. Discount pricing of alcoholic drinks and promotion of alcoholic beverages have been linked to consumption among college students (Chaloupka et al., 1998; Wechsler et al., 2000a). Lower rates of binge drinking exist among students at schools whose administrators report an absence of alcohol outlets within a mile of campus (Wechsler et al., 1994). Outlet density may impact drinking by making low cost, or volume discounted alcohol available to persons predisposed to drink heavily (Gruenewald et al., 1996), for example young adults. High outlet density may reflect heavy drinking norms and preferences (Scribner et al., 2000), or underlying community features, such as social disorganization or social capital linked to frequent heavy drinking in college (Weitzman and Kawachi, 2000).

The purpose of this study was to: (a) pilot the collection of secondary data about local alcohol licenses and assess their availability and quality; and, (b) determine whether levels of heavy and frequent drinking and drinking-related problems varied systematically with alcohol outlet density among students at colleges participating in the “A Matter of Degree” (AMOD) program to reduce binge drinking and related harms.

Section snippets

Data collection for geographic information systems (GIS)

Outlet information was collected for venues within a 2-mile radius of a central location point (CLP) on or near eight of ten AMOD campuses. CLPs were identified by local evaluators and corresponded to a student union, administrative location or major intersection. The 2-mile distance was chosen because it encompassed major businesses and student residences (on- and off-campus). One site was excluded because the response rate on the student behavioral survey was too low (<50%), another because

School setting and student characteristics

Study sites were located in different geographic regions of the United States and set in different types of communities (i.e., small town, urban, suburban) (Table 1). All of the universities were public and all but one had full-time undergraduate student enrollments >10,000.

There were 3421 survey respondents among the eight AMOD sites (average response rate was 62%, ranging from 51% to 73%). From one-half to two-thirds of the student respondents at the sites were female. A majority of students

Discussion

We found associations between outlet density, heavy and frequent drinking and drinking-related problems among all student drinkers and among several subgroups. These associations are notable. If outlet density were a trivial factor we might not expect it to influence less committed and/or experienced drinkers (i.e., women or students who report picking up binge drinking in college). In fact, it appears that the “wettest” communities may be particularly risky for young people whose drinking does

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We thank Toben Nelson and Kathy McCabe, Carol Bormann, Ann Dorwaldt, Brenda Egolf, Kathryn Farris, Julie Kearney, Diane Leiva, William Lugo, Steve Martin, Duane Shell and Brenda Woods.

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