1. The Slope of Change: An Environmental Management Approach to Reduce Drinking on a Day of Celebration at a US College
- Author
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Marchell, Timothy C., Lewis, Deborah D., Croom, Katherine, Lesser, Martin L., Murphy, Susan H., Reyna, Valerie F., Frank, Jeremy, and Staiano-Coico, Lisa
- Abstract
Objective: This research extends the literature on event-specific environmental management with a case study evaluation of an intervention designed to reduce student drinking at a university's year-end celebration. Participants: Cornell University undergraduates were surveyed each May from 2001 through 2009. Sample sizes ranged from 322 to 1,973. Methods: Randomly sampled surveys were conducted after a large, annual spring campus celebration. An environmental management plan was initiated in 2003 that included increased enforcement of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law. Results: In the short term, drinking at the campus celebration decreased while drinking before the event increased. Over time, the intervention significantly reduced high-risk drinking on the day of the event, especially among those under the age of 21. Conclusion: These findings are contrary to the argument that enforcement of MLDA laws simply leads to increased high-risk drinking, and therefore have implications for how colleges approach the challenge of student alcohol misuse.
- Published
- 2013
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