NCJ Number: |
219408  |
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Title: |
Measuring College Student Drinking: Illustrating the Feasibility of a Composite Drinking Scale |
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Journal: |
Substance Abuse Volume:27 Issue:1/2 Dated:June 2006 Pages:33-45 |
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Author(s): |
Jiun-Hau Huang Sc.D.; William DeJong Ph.D.; Shari Kessel Schneider MSPH; Laura Gombery Towvim MSPH |
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Date Published: |
June 2006 |
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Annotation: |
This study explored the feasibility of developing a more refined measure of alcohol consumption, one that combines several questions designed to capture different aspects of problem drinking. |
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Abstract: |
A composite drinking scale appears to be a viable measure of college student drinking with several scientific advantages over the heavy (“binge”) drinking measure used in many studies. A Composite Drinking Scale (CDS) combines four alcohol consumption measures, each of which can capture a different aspect of problem drinking: (1) number of occasions on which alcohol was used in the past 30 days, (2) average number of drinks consumed in a week, (3) number of drinks consumed when partying, and (4) the greatest number of drinks consumed at one sitting during the last 2 weeks. Based on a large sample of students attending 4-year colleges and universities in the United States, the CDS was found to have high internal consistency reliability and good construct validity. Several advantages were found to the CDS over other measures. Developing measures of alcohol consumption that both capture the phenomenon of problem drinking and allow easy communication with the public is an enormous challenge. This study explored the feasibility of a CDS designed to capture fully the phenomenon of problem drinking among college students while allowing easy public understanding. A survey conducted at 32 4-year United States colleges included 4 consumption measures: 30-day frequency; average number of drinks per week; number of drinks usually consumed when partying; and greatest number of drinks in 1 sitting in the past 2 weeks. Tables, references
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Main Term(s): |
Alcohol consumption analysis |
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Index Term(s): |
Alcoholic beverage consumption; Blood/body fluid analysis; Testing and measurement |
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Grant Number: |
R01-AA-12471 |
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Sponsoring Agency: |
Gang Intelligence Strategy Committee
US Dept of Health and Human Services Rockville, MD 20892-9304 |
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Publisher: |
http://www.haworthpressinc.com/ |
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Page Count: |
13 |
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Format: |
Article |
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Type: |
Research (Applied/Empirical) |
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Language: |
English |
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Country: |
United States of America |
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To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=241200 |
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