Tobacco Alcohol and Youth - Alcohol And Tobacco Use Amongcollege Students And Otheryoung Adults

The 2003 Monitoring the Future survey questioned college students and other young adults (ages nineteen to twenty-eight) not in college about various risk behaviors. From 1991 to 2003 a higher percentage of college students and young adults consistently reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks) than did younger survey participants. In 2003 college students reported somewhat higher binge drinking prevalence rates than did young adults (38.5% versus 35.8%). (See Table 6.12.)

How is binge drinking being addressed among college students? One of the most popular programs TABLE 6.11
Percentage of high school students who smoked cigarettes and who purchased cigarettes in a store or gas station, by sex,
race/ethnicity, and grade, 2003
SOURCE: "Table 22. Percentage of High School Students Who Smoked Cigarettes and Who Purchased Cigarettes in a Store or Gas Station, by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Grade—United States, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2003," in "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2003," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 53, no. SS-2, May 21, 2004, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5302.pdf (accessed March 3, 2005)

	Current frequent cigarette usea			Smoke >10 cigarettes/dayb			Purchased cigarettes at a store or gas stationc,d
	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total
Category	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Race/ethnicity
Whitee	3.2	10.4	11.8	3.1	3.6	3.4	12.0	24.1	17.5
Blacke	3.1	7.9	5.5	0.6	2.1	1.4	23.7	20.9	21.8
Hispanic	4.4	6.6	5.5	1.4	2.0	1.7	19.2	27.2	23.8
Grade
9	6.9	5.7	6.3	1.3	2.4	1.9	10.4	13.8	12.0
10	9.0	9.5	9.2	2.4	2.4	2.4	7.8	19.3	13.6
11	11.8	10.5	11.2	3.1	3.5	3.3	21.2	34.5	27.9
12	11.4	14.5	13.1	2.6	6.8	4.8	18.9	33.6	26.1
Total	9.7	9.6	9.7	2.4	3.6	3.1	13.8	24.2	18.9
aSmoked cigarettes on ≥20 of the 30 days preceding the survey.
bSmoked >10 cigarettes per day on the days they smoked during the 30 days preceding the survey.
cAmong the 20.8% of students who were aged <18 years who smoked cigarettes on ≥1 of the 30 days preceding the survey.
dDuring the 30 days preceding the survey.
eNon-Hispanic.

in recent years has been a policy known as social norms marketing. The program uses T-shirts, posters, and other methods to encourage moderate drinking. Such a policy came about after surveys of college students showed they thought their peers drank more than they actually did. The policy, which is used by nearly half of the nation's four-year colleges, differs from many other alcohol-education programs because it encourages moderate drinking, as opposed to discouraging or prohibiting drinking altogether.

A study by the Harvard University School of Public Health (Henry Wechsler et al., "Perception and Reality: A National Evaluation of Social Norms Marketing Interventions to Reduce College Students' Heavy Alcohol Use," Journal of Studies on Alcohol, vol. 64, no. 4, July 2003) found social norms drinking programs to be ineffective. Research results revealed that by seven measures drinking had not declined on campuses that used the advertisements. By two measures—percentage of students who had a drink in the previous month and those who had twenty drinks over the previous month—drinking had actually increased. Henry Wechsler, director of the study, commented, "If social norms were a drug, the FDA would not allow it on the market. There's no proof that it's doing any good" (Diana Jean Schemo, "Study of Campuses Faults Some Anti-Drinking Drives," New York Times, July 24, 2003).

Regarding tobacco use, Table 6.12 shows a decline in rates of use among college students and young adults in the most recent years of the survey (1999-2003). Only 13.8% of college students reported any cigarette use in 2003, down from 19.3% in 1999, and equaling the low reported in 1991. The level of cigarette use among young adults was rather consistent for the period from 1991-2003. It is interesting to note that young adults were much more likely to smoke half a pack of cigarettes daily than their college student counterparts over the past decade.

According to the CDC, in the late 1990s there was a noticeable increase in people who smoked only occasionally. These individuals have been described as "part-time" or "social" smokers. These smokers do not see the harm in having the occasional cigarette—after a meal or with their morning coffee, for example. Dr. Marc Manley, executive director for the Center for Tobacco Reduction and Health Improvement at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota, warns of the dangers of such thinking: "Everyone who becomes addicted does so because it sneaks up on them. There are a lot of people who don't consider themselves smokers because they only smoke on weekends. But many of them will wake up some day and realize they want a cigarette. People are playing with fire when they take on risks with nicotine" (Tom Majeski, "Young Smokers Playing with Fire," Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, July 25, 2003).

TABLE 6.12
Trends in thirty-day prevalence of daily use of alcohol, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco for eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders, college students,
and young adults (ages 19-28), 1991-2003
SOURCE: Adapted from L.D. Johnston, P.M. O'Malley, J.G. Bachman, and J.E. Schulenberg, "Table 2-3. Trends in 30-Day Prevalence of Daily Use of Various Drugs for Eighth, Tenth, and Twelfth Graders, College Students, and Young Adults (Ages 19-28)," in Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2003: Volume 1, Secondary School Students The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse, August 2004, http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol1_2003.pdf (accessed March 4, 2005)

	Daily
	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	'02–'03 change
Alcoholb,d
Any daily use
8th grade	0.5	0.6	1.0	1.0	0.7	1.0	0.8	0.9	1.0	0.8	0.9	0.7	0.8	+0.1
10th grade	1.3	1.2	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.7	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.9	1.8	1.5	−0.3
12th grade	3.6	3.4	3.4	2.9	3.5	3.7	3.9	3.9	3.4	2.9	3.6	3.5	3.2	−0.3
College students	4.1	3.7	3.9	3.7	3.0	3.2	4.5	3.9	4.5	3.6	4.7	5.0	4.3	−0.7
Young adults	4.9	4.5	4.5	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.6	4.0	4.8	4.1	4.4	4.7	5.1	+0.4
Been drunk, dailya,c
8th grade	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.0
10th grade	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.4	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.0
12th grade	0.9	0.8	0.9	1.2	1.3	1.6	2.0	1.5	1.9	1.7	1.4	1.2	1.6	+0.4
College students	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Young adults	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5+ drinks in a row in last 2 weeks
8th grade	12.9	13.4	13.5	14.5	14.5	15.6	14.5	13.7	15.2	14.1	13.2	12.4	11.9	−0.5
10th grade	22.9	21.1	23.0	23.6	24.0	24.8	25.1	24.3	25.6	26.2	24.9	22.4	22.2	−0.3
12th grade	29.8	27.9	27.5	28.2	29.8	30.2	31.3	31.5	30.8	30.0	29.7	28.6	27.9	−0.7
College students	42.8	41.4	40.2	40.2	38.6	38.3	40.7	38.9	40.0	39.3	40.9	40.1	38.5	−1.7
Young adults	34.7	34.2	34.4	33.7	32.6	33.6	34.4	34.1	35.8	34.7	35.9	35.9	35.8	−0.1
Cigarettes
Any daily use
8th grade	7.2	7.0	8.3	8.8	9.3	10.4	9.0	8.8	8.1	7.4	5.5	5.1	4.5	−0.6
10th grade	12.6	12.3	14.2	14.6	16.3	18.3	18.0	15.8	15.9	14.0	12.2	10.1	8.9	−1.2
12th grade	18.5	17.2	19.0	19.4	21.6	22.2	24.6	22.4	23.1	20.6	19.0	16.9	15.8	−1.1
College students	13.8	14.1	15.2	13.2	15.8	15.9	15.2	18.0	19.3	17.8	15.0	15.9	13.8	−2.0
Young adults	21.7	20.9	20.8	20.7	21.2	21.8	20.6	21.9	21.5	21.8	21.2	21.2	20.3	−0.9
1/2 pack+/day
8th grade	3.1	2.9	3.5	3.6	3.4	4.3	3.5	3.6	3.3	2.8	2.3	2.1	1.8	−0.3
10th grade	6.5	6.0	7.0	7.6	8.3	9.4	8.6	7.9	7.6	6.2	5.5	4.4	4.1	−0.2
12th grade	10.7	10.0	10.9	11.2	12.4	13.0	14.3	12.6	13.2	11.3	10.3	9.1	8.4	−0.8
College students	8.0	8.9	8.9	8.0	10.2	8.4	9.1	11.3	11.0	10.1	7.8	7.9	7.6	−0.3
Young adults	16.0	15.7	15.5	15.3	15.7	15.3	14.6	15.6	15.1	15.1	14.6	14.2	13.9	−0.3
Smokeless tobacco, dailyc
8th grade	1.6	1.8	1.5	1.9	1.2	1.5	1.0	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.2	0.8	0.8	0.0
10th grade	3.3	3.0	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.2	2.2	2.2	1.5	1.9	2.2	1.7	1.8	+0.1
12th grade	—	4.3	3.3	3.9	3.6	3.3	4.4	3.2	2.9	3.2	2.8	2.0	2.2	+0.2
College students	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Young adults	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Notes:
'—' indicates data not available.
Any apparent inconsistency between the change estimate and the prevalence of use estimates for the two most recent classes is due to rounding error.
aFor 12th graders, college students, and young adults only: Data based on two of six forms; population is two-sixths of N indicated for each group.
bFor 8th, 10th, and 12th graders only: In 1993, the question text was changed slightly in half of the forms to indicate that a "drink" meant "more than just a few sips." The 1993 data are based on the changed forms only; population is one-half of population indicated for these groups. In 1994 the remaining forms were changed to the new wording. The data are based on all forms beginning in 1994. For college students and young adults, the revision of the question text resulted in rather little change in the reported prevalence of use. The data for all forms are used to provide the most reliable estimate of change.
cFor 8th and 10th graders only: Data based on one of two forms for 1991-96 and on two of four forms beginning in 1997; population is one-half of population indicated. For 12th graders only: Data based on one of six forms; population is one-sixth of population indicated. For college students and young adults only: Questions about smokeless tobacco use were dropped from the analyses in 1989.
dDaily use is defined as use on twenty or more occasions in the past thirty days except for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, for which actual daily use is measured, and for 5+ drinks, for which the prevalence of having five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks is measured.