CHANGES IN BINGE DRINKING AND RELATED PROBLEMS AMONG AMERICAN-COLLEGESTUDENTS BETWEEN 1993 AND 1997 - RESULTS OF THE HARVARD-SCHOOL-OF-PUBLIC-HEALTH COLLEGE ALCOHOL STUDY

In 1997, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study res urveyed colleges that participated in a 1993 study. The findings revea led little change in binge drinking: a slight decrease in percentage o f binge drinkers and slight increases in percentages of abstainers and frequent binge drinkers. Two of 5 students were binge drinkers (42.7% ); 1 in 5 (19.0%) was an abstainer, and I in 5 was a frequent binge dr inker (20.7%). As was true in 1993, 4 of 5 residents of fraternities o r sororities were binge drinkers (81.1%). Asian students showed a grea ter increase and White students a greater decrease in binge drinking f rom 1993 to 1997, compared with all other students. Among students who drank alcohol, increases in frequency of drinking; drunkenness; drink ing to get drunk; and alcohol-related problems, including drinking and driving, were reported. Binge drinkers in both 1993 and 1997 were at increased risk of alcohol-related problems, and nonbingers at colleges with high binge drinking rates had increased risks of encountering se condhand effects of binge drinking.