This Week!

The idea of this page is to present an ever-changing selection of interesting and relevant information related to the work of the Center. This feature will change every week.  To view previous features, please visit our catalog.

30 June 2000

The following This Week feature comes from the Cal Poly Pamona Student Health Services’ Wellness Center

A Social Norms Campaign to Prevent Binge Drinking
By Celeste Fernandez
College of Business - Marketing major
Peer Health Educator from Student Health Services' Wellness Center

Background
The expectation that students will drink excessively on the day they celebrate their 21st birthdays is not uncommon. Additionally, approximately 21% of Cal Poly students had negative consequences ranging from hangovers to driving drunk and car crashes because of drinking alcohol on the day they celebrated their birthday.

The proportion of students who expect to binge drink on the day they celebrate their 21st birthday is about two times greater than actual and four times greater than Cal Poly Pomona student binge drinking norms for the past two weeks.

Problem Statement
Do the messages about drinking "social norms" and safe drinking tips on the 21st birthday card result in safer celebrating by reducing negative consequences from drinking?

Research Objectives
1) To determine the perceived versus actual drinks Cal Poly students drank to celebrate their 21st birthday.

2) To develop a 21st birthday card that results in:

• Less fewer negative consequences from drinking
• Lower average drinks
• Lower frequency of binge drinking (4+ for females, 5+ for males)

Methodology
Sample: Sample was Cal Poly students who have turned 21 between November 21, 1999 and the end of March 2000. Sample size was 613.

Fieldwork: Primary data were gathered by surveying approximately 850 Cal Poly students on how they celebrated or how they planned to celebrate their 21^st birthday and if they drank or planned to drink, how many perceived versus actual drinks they had. 21st birthday cards were then created to send out to students turning 21 a few weeks before their birthday. These cards were sent out to approximately 300 students. The birthday cards included social norms of 21st birthday celebrations by Cal Poly students, plus other valuable information such as safety tips and control. After sending out the cards, a follow up questionnaire was administered with a prepaid stamped envelope to those students, asking the number of perceived versus actual drinks they had the day they celebrated their birthday. The same questionnaire was sent to the remaining students turning 21 who were not sent birthday cards. Reminder post cards were sent to them to fill out the questionnaire and mail it back.

Check out the findings and see the great card the Cal Poly Pamona students developed for this project.

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