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| Research article summary (published 29 Apr 2003): |
Field assessment of BAC data to study late-night college drinking.
Full Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
This field study of late-night college drinking sought to (1) test the ability of the 5+/4+ measure to screen for higher levels of intoxication and (2) examine the relation between estimated and actual blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
METHOD:
During a 15-week spring semester, college students returning to their residence halls between 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM on Wednesday through Saturday nights were anonymously interviewed to collect BAC and self-report data (n = 1,020).
RESULTS:
Although 70.9% had not been drinking on Wednesday nights, a majority of the intercepted students had been drinking on the other three nights. Mean BACs on these three nights were in a moderate range (48 to 51 mg/dl), but the 5+/4+ measure classified many students as heavy episodic drinkers at relatively low BACs. For example, 66.3% of those meeting the 5+/4+ criterion for the night had BACs < 100 mg/dl. Students with BACs ranging from 70 to 90 mg/dl exhibited the greatest accuracy in estimating their BAC; those with lower BACs tended to overestimate their level of intoxication; whereas those with higher BACs tended to underestimate it.
CONCLUSIONS:
Field assessment of student intoxication is an important tool for examining research questions in college drinking. The 5+/4+ measure classifies many college students as heavy episodic drinkers, even though their intoxication level is below conventional thresholds used to define drunkenness. In addition, there is a discernible pattern of BAC estimation in the field that corresponds to intoxication level.
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Author information
Author/s: Thombs, Dennis L (DL); Olds, R Scott (RS); Snyder, Barbara M (BM);
Affiliation: Health Promotion Program, 316 White Hall, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA. dthombs(-atsign-)kent.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Journal of studies on alcohol (J Stud Alcohol), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2003-May; vol 64 (issue 3) : pp 322-30
Dates: Created 2003/06/23; Completed 2003/10/17; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12817820, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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