An $848,383 research grant has been awarded to Minnesota State University, Mankato's Student Health Services by the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study whether "social norming" intervention, coupled with alcohol-free events, can reduce student alcohol use.
The funds will be used for a three-year project, with collaborative research partners from San Diego State University and the National Institutes of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Comparative data will be provided by St. Cloud State University.
"Social norming" uses actual campus data to identify student misperceptions about drinking. After the Student Health Services collects baseline data and identifies those misperceptions, it will seek to decrease drinking behavior by making students aware of accurate information through campus and community-wide messages, and by programming events.
To measure the effectiveness of the Minnesota State Mankato project, student perceptions about alcohol consumption will be surveyed regularly and compared with data from a control campus of similar size and demographic composition. The National College Health Assessment, a survey tool used to assess student health behaviors, will be used over the three-year period to determine the campaign's effectiveness.
"According to our data, Minnesota State Mankato students perceive that about 40 percent of their peers drink alcohol daily, when in fact less than 1 percent drink daily," said Christine Connolly, director of the University's Student Health Services and principal investigator for the study. "The project is designed to determine whether colleges and universities can correct misperceptions about drinking, and encourage students to engage in more responsible drinking behaviors."
A nationwide study recently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol confirms that pattern among college students nationwide. The study found that most students overestimate peer drinking, and the misperceptions have a strong impact on student alcohol use. The study found less high-risk drinking and fewer negative consequences at schools where students have accurate perceptions of campus drinking.
In 2002, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism concluded that every year 1,400 college student deaths can be attributed to alcohol. The alcohol-related deaths include alcohol poisoning, motor vehicle crashes, drowning and accidents.
Drinking by college students leads to a variety of negative consequences that can escalate from missing a class or failing a test to fighting, drunk driving and sexual victimization.
If the Minnesota State Mankato social norming/alternative programming campaign reduces student alcohol use, increases responsible drinking patterns, and changes student perceptions about drinking, "this initiative could provide very useful information for other colleges and universities," she added.
"We want to be a good community member. This grant provides an opportunity for us to work with the community to possibly impact drinking behaviors of students. We are enthused at the opportunity to determine if social norming and alternative programming will be an effective intervention."
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