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University of Massachusetts
Amherst
SARIS - Student Affaris Research, Information and Systems
Alcohol and Tobacco Use Survey (F98-G)
Executive Summary: Two-thirds of students reported that they have smoked cigarettes in the past and a quarter are current smokers. Over one-sixth of students under the age of 21 reported having a falsified identification. Two-fifths of students report drinking alcohol “once or twice per week," whereas 10.6 percent do not drink alcohol. Students consume an average of 5.6 drinks at a sitting, and men consume significantly more drinks than women. Four-fifths of students reported becoming intoxicated at least once in the past month. Three-quarters of students indicated that they had had at least one alcoholic drink during the week prior to the administration of the survey. These drinkers spent an average of 4.5 hours drinking alcohol on their heaviest drinking day and consumed an average of 6.9 drinks, with men consuming more drinks than women. Half of the respondents reported they had been a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking, a third reported that alcohol interfered with their academic work, and a third reported that they had had a blackout at least once during the past year. Half of respondents indicated that they prefer alcohol but not drugs to be available at parties. Finally, two-thirds of students indicated that they know someone who has identification falsifying their age.
On Tuesday, November 10, 1998, Project Pulse conducted a survey for University Health Services which investigated students' use of alcohol and tobacco. Project Pulse interviewers attempted to contact 1,077 undergraduates who had been randomly selected by computer from the University's student database. Pulse interviewers successfully contacted 589 of these students and 486 (83%) agreed to participate in the survey. The response rate for the survey was 45% and the sampling error is approximately 4 percentage points. Tables 1 and 2 show the final disposition of the sample and a demographic summary of the respondents.
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Table 1: Final Disposition
of the Sample
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|||
|
|
N
|
% of Total
|
% of Contacted
|
| Response rate (In & cooperated) |
486
|
45.1
|
82.5
|
| In, declined interview |
103
|
9.6
|
17.5
|
| Not in |
488
|
45.3
|
|
| Totals |
*1,077
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
| *Excludes 62 sampled students with unobtainable phone numbers. | |||
|
Table 2: Demographic
Summary of the Respondents
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|
|
|
%
|
| Female |
52.1
|
| Male |
47.9
|
| First-year |
27.9
|
| Sophomore |
30.0
|
| Junior |
22.5
|
| Senior |
19.6
|
| Average age = 19.9 years | |
Tobacco Use
First, respondents were asked a set of questions regarding their use of tobacco. Two-thirds of students (66.5%, n=321) reported that they have smoked cigarettes. Twenty-seven percent (27.3%) of students said that they smoke cigarettes currently. A small proportion (12.8%, n=17) of current cigarette smokers indicated that have smoked for less than one year, a third (34.6%, n=46) have smoked for a year or two, another third (35.3%, n=47) have smoked for three to five years, and almost a fifth (17.3%, n=23) have smoked for more than five years. Smokers also were asked about the number of cigarettes they smoke per day. Figure 1 shows daily levels of cigarette use.
Figure 1: How many cigarettes do you usually smoker PER DAY?
Finally, all respondents were asked whether they have ever chewed tobacco or smoked cigars or pipes. Only a small proportion of respondents (7.8%, n=38) reported having chewed tobacco, whereas about a third (31.7%, n=152) reported having smoked cigars or pipes. Overall, men were more likely than women to have used chewing tobacco (15% vs. 0.8%, c2=34.15, p=.000) and cigars and pipes (49.1% vs. 15.3%, c2=62.88, p=.000).
Alcohol Use
General characteristics
Next, respondents were asked a variety of questions about their alcohol use, including whether they have a false identification (asked of those who are under 21), how often they drink, how much they ususally drink at a sitting, and how many times in the past month they have become intoxicated. Of those under age 21 (n=361), 15.4% (n=55) reported having a false identification that indicates that they are of legal drinking age. When asked how often they drink alcohol, the most frequent response was "once or twice per week" (39.7%, n=190) whereas just over a tenth (12.3%, n=59) reported that they do not drink at all, or drink less than once a year (Figure 2 shows the frequency of drinking). Non-drinkers were not asked any further alcohol-related questions and were skipped to demographic information.
Figure 2: On average, how often do you drink an alcoholic beverage, such as beer, wine or liquor?
Next, respondents indicated how many drinks on average they usually consume at a sitting (For this survey, a drink was defined as, "..either a 12-ounce can of beer, a 12-ounce wine cooler, a 4-ounce glass of wine such as the size you would get in a restaurant, or a shot of liquor straight or in a mixed drink" and sitting was defined as drinking "from the time you start until the time you quit."). On average, respondents consume 5.6 drinks at a sitting, with men consuming significantly more drinks at a sitting then women (6.6 vs. 4.5, F(1,407)=52.29, p=.000). As illustrated in Figure 3, four-fifths of students (78.5%) indicated that they have become intoxicated on alcoholic beverages at least once in the past month.
Figure 3: How many times IN THE PAST MONTH have you become intoxicated on alcoholic beverages?
Drinking Behavior in a Typical Week
The next set of questions pertained to students' alcohol-related activities in the week prior to the administration of the survey. This set of questions was asked in an effort to characterize drinking behavior in a typical week. Three-quarters (75.1%, n=314) indicated that they drank at least one alcoholic drink in the past week (individuals who had not had a drink were not asked any further questions about their previous week). Two-fifths of these drinkers indicated that they drank the most on Friday (39.5%, n=122), another two-fifths drank the most on Saturday (40.5%, n=125), and 15.5% (n=48) drank the most on Thursday. Next, students indicated both the number of drinks they had on their heaviest drinking day and where they were when they were drinking. On average, students consumed 6.9 drinks, with men consuming significantly more drinks than women (8.3 vs. 5.4, F(1,308)=38.52, p=.000). Students named a variety of locations where they had consumed alcohol, with the largest proportion (25.2%, n=78) consuming alcohol at "an off-campus get-together or party" (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Respondents' Drinking Locations
Respondents were asked about the specific time they started and stopped drinking alcohol on their heaviest drinking day. These times were used to calculate the total number of hours students spent drinking. On average, students spent 4.5 hours drinking alcohol, consuming an average of 1.7 drinks per hour. Overall, men consumed alcohol at a faster rate than did women (2.0 vs. 1.6 drinks per hour, F(1,299)=11.06, p=.001) and first-year students consumed alcohol at a faster rate than did sophomores, juniors, or seniors (2.1 vs. 1.7, 1.7, and 1.6 drinks per hour respectively; F(3,299)=3.18, p=.024).
Alcohol-Related Problems
Respondents were asked to indicate how often in the past year their drinking interfered with various activities or had negative consequences for them such as missing classes, having a blackout, or losing a friendship. As illustrated in Figure 5, approximately one-half (53.2%, n=221) of the students reported having been a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking. Slightly more than one-third (35.8%) indicated that their drinking had interfered with their academic work, and nearly one-third (32.1%) reported having had a blackout after drinking.
Men and women differed significantly in three aspects: Women were significantly more likely than men to report having "had an argument with a friend or partner because of [their] drinking" (33.0% vs. 23.2%; c2=4.90, p=.027). Men were significantly more likely than women to report having "experienced trouble with police while drinking" (28.9% vs. 16.1%; c2=9.80, p=.002) and having "driven a car after having too much to drink," (33.8% vs. 21.2%; c2=8.35, p=.004). Seniors were the most likely to have "been a passenger in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking alcohol" whereas first-year students were the least likely to have done so (see Figure 6).
The next group of questions asked all students about their perceptions and attitudes toward alcohol-related issues. The first questions asked students to indicate their preference regarding the availability of alcohol and/or drugs at parties. A third (34.3%, n=150) said that they "prefer that alcohol and drugs be available," half (50.3%, n=220) "prefer that alcohol but not drugs be available," a very small proportion (0.9%, n=4) "prefer that drugs but not alcohol be available," and almost a fifth (14.4%, n=63) "prefer that neither drugs nor alcohol be available." The next two questions asked students about thir perceptions of how often the "typical" male and female UMass student uses alcohol. Figures 7a and 7b indicate that women are more likely to perceive the typical male UMass student to drink "at least 3-4 times per week" whereas men are more likely to perceive the typical male student to drink less frequently ("at most 1-2 times per week"). Similarly, women are more likely to perceive the typical female UMass student to drink "at least 3-4 times per week" whereas men perceive the typical female student to drink less frequently than that.
Figure 7a: How often do you think the typical MALE UMass student uses alcohol?
Figure 7b: How often do you think the typical FEMALE UMass student uses alcohol?
The next two questions asked students about their perceptions of how often the "typical" male and female UMass student uses tobacco. As with alcohol, women are more likely than men to perceive higher rates of tobacco use. Figures 8a and 8b show these differences.
Figure 8a: How often do you think the typical MALE UMass student uses tobacco?
Figure 8b: How often do you think the typical FEMALE UMass student uses tobacco?
Finally, all respondents were asked whether they know of any undergraduates at UMass who have a false identification that says they are of legal drinking age. Two-thirds of students (68.5%, n=333) indicated that they know someone at UMass who has a false ID. Women were more likey than men to know someone who has a false ID (76.3% vs. 65.6%; c2=6.53, p=.011).
-Julie Fishtein
