title: Reducing excessive alcohol consumption at university fraternity parties: a cost-effective incentive/reward intervention.
abstract: The impact of an incentive/reward intervention on college students' intoxication from alcohol consumption at fraternity parties was explored using a group-randomized trial. Participants included 702 college students (447 men, 225 women) attending fraternity parties in Blacksburg, VA. Six fraternities were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group, and each of these fraternities hosted two parties. The three fraternities in the experimental group hosted a baseline party first and then hosted an intervention party at which those having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level below 0.05 were entered in a $100 cash lottery. The three fraternities in the control group hosted two control (non-intervention) parties. For the experimental fraternities, mean BAC levels were significantly lower at the intervention parties (M=0.079) than the baseline parties (M=0.098) and the percentage of party-goers with a BAC below 0.08 was significantly higher at intervention parties (40.1%) than at baseline parties (30.6%). This field study supports the efficacy of differential reinforcement in controlling student intoxication at party settings.
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Behavior Systems, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (MC 0436), Blacksburg, VA 24061-0436, USA. kglindem@vt.edu
authors.forename: Kent E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Glindemann
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Ehrhart
authors.forename: Elise A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: E Scott
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Geller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010379:Peer Group; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D012952:Societies; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013695:Temperance; D014495:Universities