WASHINGTON - A U.S. Government-funded study has revealed that heavy drinking, drink driving, and alcohol-related deaths among college students have been rising for the past decade.
Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) used figures from government databases and national surveys on alcohol use for their study.
They found that drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students to be on the rise-from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005.
The researchers said that the proportion of students who reported recent heavy episodic drinking also rose from about 42 percent to 45 percent.
They further revealed that the proportion of students who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year was found to have increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent.
“The fact that we’re not making progress is very concerning,” says lead researcher Ralph Hingson, director of the NIAAA’s division of epidemiology and prevention research.
“The irony is that during this same time period, our knowledge of what works as far as intervention in this age group has increased.
That knowledge isn’t yet being put into place,” he added.
“There’s no silver bullet for this, but the more levels at which we try to intervene, the more effective we’ll be. Colleges and communities need to work together, because neither can do it alone,” he says.
Hingson and his colleagues also believe that broader legislation may make a difference.
They observed that though drinking and driving were more common among college students in 2005 than in 1998, the trend actually began to reverse course during that time.
The researchers revealed that, in 2002, just over 31 percent of students had driven under the influence in previous year, whereas, in 2005, the figure was 29 percent.
Hingson points out that in 2000, only 17 U.S. States had made it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher, and that all had adopted that limit by 2005.
He says that that might at least partially account for the dip in college students’ drinking and driving.
The researcher also credited State laws that set the legal drinking age at 21 for reducing alcohol-related road deaths.
Hingson said that an interesting finding of the study was that the increases in heavy episodic drinking, drinking and driving, and alcohol-related deaths were seen among 21- to 24-year-olds, and not 18- to 20-year-olds.
The findings of the study have been reported in a special supplemental issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, which is devoted to college drinking problems. (ANI)
Related News
Islamic students group wants Beyonce's Malay gig bannedSeptember 29th, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - An organisation of Muslim students has urged authorities to ban the soon-to-be held Beyonce concert, because they doubt the songbird would follow the countries dress code. The appealed has been made by the National Union of Malaysian Islamic Students (PKPIM).
Drinking early creates alcohol dependenceSeptember 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study led by an Indian American has found that people who begin drinking early are more likely to develop alcohol dependence (AD). The study says age at first drink (AFD) may activate genetic factors that are already linked with vulnerability to AD symptoms.
Bill Cosby tells Detroit students and parents to fix what ails their city and schoolsSeptember 14th, 2009 Cosby asks Detroit students, parents to get activeDETROIT — Bill Cosby says Detroit residents must take responsibility for improving their city and schools. The 72-year-old actor, comedian and activist taped public service announcements Sunday at the Detroit Public Library's main branch.
Constant contact between college students, parents may deter developmentAugust 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - While keeping in touch with family is reassuring to college students away from home, constant contact may hinder a student's development in the new environment, according to an expert. Karen Levin Coburn, senior consultant in residence at Washington University in St.
20 pct teens sexually active in Chinese city of GuangzhouAugust 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Almost 20 percent of polytechnic students in the Chinese city of Guangzhou are sexually active, according to a recent survey. Conducted by Guangzhou Youth League School, the poll found that about 17 percent of the polytechnic students in Guangzhou, aged 15 to 18, have had a sexual experience, and 8 percent of those females have been pregnant at least once.
Teach children to be caring: Aamir KhanJuly 18th, 2009 MUMBAI - Too much competition has taken away the humanitarian aspect from schoolchildren, who seem to be lost in the race of mathematical calculations and report cards, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan said Saturday as he participated in an interactive session with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the 140-year-old St. Xaviers' College for an interactive session here Saturday.
Meryl Streep receives honorary degree from Princeton UniversityJune 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Legendary actress Meryl Streep has received a special gift for her 60th birthday - an honorary degree from America's Princeton university. The 'Mama Mia' star, who turns 60 on Monday June 22 (09), received the honour on the revered college's 262nd Commencement.
Cowell admits Boyle's rise to fame could have been handled differentlyJune 21st, 2009 LONDON - Britain's Got Talent boss Simon Cowell has confessed that Susan Boyle's phenomenal rise to fame and her subsequent emotional breakdowns could have been handled differently. The show judge said show organisers could have been more careful in addressing Susan's problems after she became an overnight star with her jaw dropping performance of her audition song.
Shia Labeouf claims he turns into 'werewolf' after drinkingJune 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Shia LaBeouf has revealed that he was forced to quit drinking whisky because it turned him into a "werewolf", and now he is thinking of kicking the butt as well. The 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' actor is seriously considering quitting both drinking and smoking because they have a negative effect on him.
Hip-hop star Kanye West has private concert for 3,000 Chicago teens improving in schoolJune 12th, 2009 Kanye West treats 3,000 students to private showCHICAGO — Hip-hop artist Kanye West returned to his hometown Thursday amid thunderous applause and 3,000 teenagers chanting his name during a private concert for Chicago public school students who improved their grades and attendance. The event was put on by The Kanye West Foundation, a nonprofit working to decrease dropout rates and improve literacy.
Broken hearts hate media, while broke people love it (corrected)June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study suggests that the last thing most people with broken hearts want to do is to read informational articles about romance, but those facing financial difficulties often choose to read articles that may help them cope with their money problems. The main purpose of the study was to determine whether people use the news media to escape from their problems, or find information on how to cope with them.
Lohan's worried father urges her to seek help for excessive drinkingJune 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - 'Mean Girls' star Lindsay Lohan has caused her father, Michael, so much worry over her excessive drinking that he has urged her to seek professional help. Michael believes that his daughter's dependence on alcohol was brought about by her split from her on/off girlfriend Samantha Ronson earlier this year, and that the actress is heading for trouble again.
Fatigue during longer high-pressure tests not detrimental to performanceJune 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A study report issued by the American Psychological Association says that spending hours taking a high-pressure aptitude test may cause a person to feel mentally fatigued, but it does not necessarily have any adverse affect on test scores. "The experience of fatigue during testing does not appear to be, in and of itself, detrimental to test performance," said co-authors Dr.
Women can better their performances by thinking about the positiveMay 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Women can perform better in any task if they think about the positive things, suggests a study. Led by Indiana University expert Robert J.
Ignoring stereotypes can help females excel in studiesMay 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Want to excel in studies? Well, then, start thinking positive. That's the advice from researchers at Indiana University, who have found that women perform worse on math tasks if simply made aware of the negative stereotype that women are weaker in math than men.
Loading ...