Designing binge-drinking prevention campaigns that target Hispanic/Latino college students: Importance of individual attitudes and real-time peer support (original) (raw)
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Prevention Science
In this article, we highlight the urgent public health need for prevention of heavy episodic drinking among underage Hispanic emerging adults in the United States. We outline the current state of binge drinking prevention programming and contrast it with the unique cultural, social, and developmental realities of this population using an ecodevelopmental framework (Szapocznik & Coatsworth, 1999). Finally, we advance specific recommendations for the development and delivery of culturally tailored, multisystemic binge drinking prevention programs for underage Hispanic emerging adults.
The role of mass media campaigns in reducing high-risk drinking among college students
Journal of studies on alcohol, 2002
This article categorizes and describes current media campaigns to reduce college student drinking, reviews key principles of campaign design and outlines recommendations for future campaigns. Method: The article describes three types of media campaigns on student drinking: information, social norms marketing, and advocacy. Key principles of campaign design are derived from work in commercial marketing, advertising, and public relations and from evaluations of past public health campaigns. Results: Information campaigns on the dangers of high-risk drinking are common, but none has been rigorously evaluated. Quasi-experimental studies suggest that social norms marketing campaigns, which correct misperceptions of campus drinking norms, may be effective, but more rigorous research is needed. As of this writing, only one major media campaign has focused on policy ad-vocacy to reduce college student drinking, but it is still being evaluated. Lessons for campaign design are organized as a series of steps for campaign development, implementation and assessment: launch a strategic planning process, select a strategic objective, select the target audience, develop a staged approach, define the key promise, avoid fear appeals, select the right message source, select a mix of media channels, maximize media exposure, conduct formative research, and conduct process and outcome evaluations. Conclusions: Future campaigns should integrate information, social norms marketing, and advocacy approaches to create a climate of support for institutional, community and policy changes that will alter the environment in which students make decisions about their alcohol consumption.
Substance Use & Misuse, 2012
Although Hispanic college students consume alcohol in equal proportion to other ethnic groups, studies have not examined whether established alcohol-riskreduction approaches are effective in this population. Accordingly, this study examined effectiveness of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) risk-reduction model for reducing alcohol consumption and related problems in two samples of predominantly Hispanic college students (N = 206 and 405). The study also examined whether factors such as gender, baseline risk level, and readiness to change moderated program impact. Students first participated in an in-depth assessment of drinking patterns followed by relatively brief intervention including psychoeducation and personalized normative feedback. Behavioral outcomes were assessed six months after the intervention and included alcoholrisk scores, alcohol consumption-related problems, consumption, drinking and driving frequency, and stage of change. Supporting the effectiveness of BASICS, both samples showed significant improvement across all these outcomes. Moderator analyses suggested greater program impact among heavier drinkers and among high in change contemplation at assessment. Overall, the results strongly support use of the BASICS intervention model among Hispanic students. The study's limitations are noted.
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Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1987
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Journal of studies on alcohol. Supplement, 2002
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