Study Shows How Colleges Are Doing Six Years after NIAAA College Drinking Task Force Recommendations
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
September 3, 2010
In 2002 the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) College Drinking Task Force issued recommendations to reduce heavy drinking by college students. In 2008 the authors surveyed a nationally representative sample of administrators at more than 350 four-year colleges in the United States to assess their familiarity with and progress toward implementation of the NIAAA recommendations. Results indicate that although administrators at most colleges were familiar with the recommendations, few have implemented a full range of the most effective strategies recommended to address student drinking. Findings include:
- Only half of the colleges offered intervention programs with documented efficacy for students at high risk for alcohol problems.
- Few colleges reported that empirically supported, community-based alcohol control strategies were operating in their community.
- Nearly all colleges use educational programs to address student drinking.
The full article citation is: Nelson, T. F. et al. “Implementation of NIAAA College Drinking Task Force Recommendations: How Are Colleges Doing 6 Years Later?” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research October 2010: 1–7.
More information can be viewed in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

