Alcohol and Youth: A Guide to the National Surveys

Fact Sheet: Alcohol and Youth: A Guide to the National Surveys
Title	Source	Survey Sample	Principal Alcohol-Related Data Collected	Key Definitions
Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses (The Core Institute Study)	Core Institute, Southern Illinois University	•Sample size may vary. The 1998 report is based upon data from over 93,000 students.	•Frequency of alcohol use •Binge drinking •Consequences associated with alcohol use •Violence/harassment associated with alcohol use •Student perception of alcohol use on campus	•Binge drinking - Five or more drinks in one sitting •Frequent user - Three times a week to every day •Moderate user - Once a month to once a week
Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (The Harvard College Alcohol Study)	Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Behavior	•The 1997 survey included responses from over 14,000 college students.	•Patterns of alcohol use •Prevalence of binge drinking •Drinking style of students •Prevalence of alcohol-related problems •Secondhand binge-drinking effects	•Binge drinking - At least five drinks in a row for men or four drinks in a row for women •Frequent binge drinkers - Individual who binged three or more times in the past two weeks
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (The National Household Survey) - Released annually in late Summer	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration	•A sample of 25,500 persons, age 12 and older, were interviewed for the 1998 survey.	•Prevalence of alcohol use by age group •Alcohol use by gender, race, and region	•Binge use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past month •Current use - At least one drink in the past month
National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study. Volume I: Secondary School Students (Monitoring the Future Study) - Released annually in December	The University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research	•Responses are collected from approximately 18,000 to 19,000 8th graders, 16,000 10th graders, and 15,000 to 17,000 12th graders.	•Trends in alcohol use •Prevalence of alcohol use •Attitudes and beliefs •Social milieu (peer norms)	•Heavy drinking - Five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks
The PRIDE National Survey (The Pride Survey) - Annual release dates vary	National Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education	•The 1998-99 survey sample size included over 138,000 students in grades 6-12.	•Students reporting alcohol use •Type of alcohol product consumed (i.e., beer, wine coolers, liquor)	(see key findings on next page)
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	•Over 16,000 students in grades 9-12 participated in the 1997 survey.	•Drinking and driving •Prevalence of alcohol use •Age of first use •Alcohol use on school property •Alcohol use and sexual activity	•Current use - Drank on one or more occasions during the past 30 days •Heavy use - Drank five or more drinks of alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days

The National Surveys: Key Findings

Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses: A Report to College Presidents, Core Institute (1997 Data)
•24.2% of college students report frequent alcohol use, and 42.5% report moderate alcohol use.
•23.2% of college students report consuming 10 or more drinks per week.
•Students under age 21 report consuming on average 6.27 drinks per week, while students over age 21 report consuming 5.35 drinks per week.
•Alcohol was the most frequently used drug by college students, with 84.2% reporting using alcohol in the last year.

Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (1997 Data)
•20.7% of college students report being frequent binge drinkers, and 21.9% report being occasional binge drinkers.
•20.4% of college students who consumed alcohol drank on 10 or more occasion in the past 30 days.
•41.5% of college students who consumed alcohol reported "usually" binging when they drank.
•52.3% of college students who consumed alcohol reported drinking to get drunk.
•78.8% of nonbinge-drinking college students report experiencing secondhand binge drinking effects (i.e., arguments, interrupted sleep or studying, unwanted sexual advance, etc.).

National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (1998 Data)
•10.4 million current drinkers were age 12-20 years old. 5.1 million of these individuals were binge drinkers, including 2.3 million heavy drinkers.
•31.8% of young people between the age of 12-17 report using alcohol in the past year.
•35.1% of white youth between the age of 12-17 report past year alcohol use, while 29.4% of Hispanic youth and 22.3% of blacks report the use of alcohol in the past year.

Monitoring the Future Study: Volume I (1998 Data)
•43.7% of 8th grade students, 62.7% of 10th grade students, and 74.3% of 12th grade students report using alcohol in the past year.
•23% of 8th grade students, 38.8% of 10th grade students, and 52% of 12th grade students report using alcohol in the past 30-days.
•13.7% of 8th grade students, 24.3% of 10th grade students, and 31.5% of 12th grade students report consuming five or more drinks in a row in the last 2 weeks.

The PRIDE National Survey (1998-99 Data)
•29.6% of junior high students, 55.9% of senior high students, and 63.2% of 12th grade students report drinking beer in the past year.
•31.2% of junior high students, 52% of senior high students, and 55.1% of 12th grade students report drinking wine coolers in the past year.
•21.1% of junior high students, 52.9% of senior high students, and 61.9% of 12th grade students report drinking liquor in the past year.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (1997 Data)
•36.6% of students report riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
•50.8% of students report current alcohol use.
•33.4% of students report heavy alcohol use.
•31.1% of students report drinking alcohol before the age of 13.
•24.7% of students report the use of alcohol or drugs at the time of last sexual intercourse.

Sources:

Kann, L., Kinchen, S. A., Williams, B. I., Ross, J. G., Lowry, R., Hill, C. V., Grunbaum, J., Blumson, P. S., Collins, J. L., & Kolbe, L. J. (1998). Youth risk behavior surveillance-United States, 1997. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 47.

Johnston, L. D., O'Malley. P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (1999). National survey results on drug use from the monitoring the future study: Volume I, secondary students. NIH Publication Number (99-4660). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

National Parent's Resource Institute for Drug Education. (1999). Prides national summary data. World Wide Web document online at http://www.prideusa.org/press99/9899ns.html. Materials Accessed on 10/5/99.

Presley, C. A., Leichliter, J. S., & Meilman, P. W. (1998). Alcohol and drugs on American college campuses: A report to colleges presidents. Carbondale, IL: Core Institute, Southern Illinois University.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). National household survey on drug abuse: Population estimates 1998. DHHS Publication Number (SAM) 99-3327. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Wechsler, H., Dowdall, G. W., Maenner, G., Gledhill-Hoyt, J. & Lee, H. (1998). Changes in binge drinking and related problems among American college students between 1993 and 1997: Results of the Harvard school of public health, college alcohol study. Journal of American College Health, Vol. 47: 57-68.

Online Access to the National Surveys:

•Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses - http://www.siu.edu/departments/coreinst/
•Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/
•Monitoring the Future Study - http://monitoringthefuture.org/
•National Household Survey on Drug Abuse - http://www.samhsa.gov/statistics/statistics.html
•PRIDE National Survey - http://www.prideusa.org
•Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance) - http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/

Posted - February 17, 2000