Alcohol Use among College Athletes: Do Intercollegiate, Club, or Intramural Student Athletes Drink Differently?

Abstract

Background: Varsity student athletes are a high-risk drinking group, exhibiting a greater propensity to binge drink than their non-sport peers. Moreover, as intercollegiate athletic involvement increases, so too does alcohol consumption. There is little research, however, which examines drinking behaviors of students who participate in nonvarsity athletics. Objectives: Identify differences in alcohol-related behaviors and associated consequences among U.S. varsity, club, and intramural athletes, and nonathlete college students. Methods: Secondary data analysis of the 2011 National College Health Assessment (n = 29,939). Results: Intramural athletes binge drank more frequently (M = 1.1, SD = 1.7) than club athletes (M = 1.0, SD = 1.6), intercollegiate athletes (M = 0.9, SD = 1.5), and nonathletes (M = 0.6, SD = 1.3) and also experienced greater alcohol-related consequences. Intramural athletes consumed the most during their last drinking episode (M = 4.1, SD = 4.0) and reached the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (M = 0.062, SD = 0.09).Compared to club and varsity athletes [M = 0.8, SD = 1.4; t (8,131) = −9.6, p < .001], intramural-only athletes reported binge drinking significantly more frequently (M = 1.2, SD = 1.7) and also reached significantly higher BACs during most recent drinking episode (M = 0.064, SD = 0.08) than organized sport athletes [M = 0.057, SD = 0.08; t (8,050) = −3.0, p = .003]. Conclusions: Intramural athletes represent a higher-risk drinking group than other athlete and nonathlete college students. Future research should investigate factors contributing to drinking differences among different athlete groups.

Keywords :

• Alcohol
• College student
• Athlete
• Intramural
• Varsity
• Intercollegiate

THE AUTHORS

Adam E. Barry, Ph.D. currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Barry's research focuses broadly upon the assessment and measurement alcohol-related behaviors. Peer-reviewed outlets featuring his scholarly work include preeminent journals in his discipline (public health education), such as American Journal of Public Health, Health Education & Behavior, and Journal of School Health, as well as preeminent journals in his research content area (alcohol), such as Addiction, Addictive Behaviors, and Journal of Studies on Alcohol. As a result of his expertise in alcohol use/abuse among college populations, he serves as an Executive Editor for the Journal of American College Health and is Chair of the American College Health Association's Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) Coalition.

Steven M. Howell, Ph.D. currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Northern Illinois University. Broadly speaking, his research centers on areas of sport management, marketing, and economics—specifically examining the extent to which incentives are created and impacted by changes in policies in sport. Howell also has an interdisciplinary interest in exploring the alcohol-related behaviors and beliefs of college-aged students and other individuals related to their consumption of sport-specific events, activities, and services. Peer-reviewed outlets featuring his scholarly work include the Journal of Primary Prevention, Journal of Safety Research, and Journal of Applied Sport Management.

Adam Riplinger, MBA is currently a graduate student in the M.S. program in sport management and M.B.A. program at Northern Illinois University. He also serves as a graduate research assistant within the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

Anna K. Piazza-Gardner, Ph.D. is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. Her primary research interest focuses on alcohol and physical activity-related behaviors among college students. She is also involved in research focusing on health behaviors and physical fitness among career firefighters. Piazza-Gardner's scholarly work has been published in peer-reviewed outlets such as the American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of American College Health, and Occupational Medicine.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

• Club athlete: A club athlete is a male or female college student who participates in an organized competitive sport offered at the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. These athletes ARE NOT regulated by an intercollegiate athletic association (e.g., National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, etc.). Club sport teams are generally student-run and club athletes generally receive little to no sport-specific financial aid (e.g., scholarships, grants) from the university.

• Intramural athlete: An intramural athlete is a male or female college student who participates in recreational sports organized by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. For the majority of institutions, intramural sports are used to promote health and wellness; and afford students, who do not compete on a national level, the opportunity to be active.

• Non-athlete: A nonathlete is a male or female college student who does not participate in a varsity, club, or intramural sport.

• Varsity athlete: A varsity athlete is a male or female college student who participates in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. These athletes ARE regulated by an intercollegiate athletic association (e.g., National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, etc.).Widmark Equation: Based on the influential work of E.M.P. Widmark (a Swedish Physician), the Widmark Equation is an algebraic formula commonly used to estimate blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This equation takes into account (1) amount of alcohol consumed since commencement of drinking, (2) body weight in pounds, (3) a constant relating the distribution of water in the body in L/kg, (4) average alcohol elimination rate, (5) time passed since drinking commenced, and (6) fluid ounces of alcohol per drink.