The role of age and setting in adolescents’ first drinking experience for predicting college problem drinking

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of longitudinally reporting age at first drink (AFD), and to test AFD and setting of first drink (SFD) as predictors of collegiate problem drinking. Participants: 338 first-year college students were interviewed multiple times during their first academic year, from May 2011 through August 2012. Methods: AFD, SFD, and problem drinking were measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) during the first year of college. Bivariate analysis and parsimonious multivariate linear regression model were conducted. Results: 62% of respondents were inconsistent in reporting AFD over time. Social SFD was the strongest independent predictor for higher AUDIT scores (b = 4.74, 95% confidence interval; 1.91, 7.57; p = .002). Conclusions: Findings suggest caution should be used in relying upon using AFD as a sole predictor of problem drinking. SFD may be a complementary measure to identify students at high risk of collegiate problem drinking.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• clinical medicine
• community health
• health education

Abbreviations

AFD	=	Age at first drink
AUDIT	=	Alcohol use disorders identification test
SFD	=	Setting of first drink
TLFB	=	TimeLine follow back

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Meagan Trainor, MD, for her work contributing to this paper. They affirm that everyone who contributed significantly to the work reported in this manuscript is listed. Findings from this study were presented as a platform presentation at the 2014 Pediatric Academic Societies National Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, in May 2014.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington.

Funding

This study was funded by grant R01DA031580-03, which is supported by the Common Fund, managed by the OD/Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.