NIAAA's rapid response to college drinking problems initiative: reinforcing the use of evidence-based approaches in college alcohol prevention.
OBJECTIVE
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) created the Rapid Response to College Drinking Problems initiative so that senior college administrators facing an alcohol-related crisis could get assistance from well-established alcohol researchers and NIAAA staff.


METHODS
Based on a competitive grant process, NIAAA selected five teams of research scientists with expertise in college drinking research. NIAAA then invited college administrators to propose interventions to address a recently experienced alcohol-related problem. Between September 2004 and September 2005, NIAAA selected 15 sites and paired each recipient college with a scientific team. Together, each program development/evaluation team, working closely with NIAAA scientific staff, jointly designed, implemented, and evaluated a Rapid Response project.


RESULTS
This supplement reports the results of several Rapid Response projects, plus other findings of interest that emerged from that research. Eight articles present evaluation findings for prevention and treatment interventions, which can be grouped by the individual, group/interpersonal, institutional, and community levels of the social ecological framework. Additional studies provide further insights that can inform prevention and treatment programs designed to reduce alcohol-related problems among college students. This article provides an overview of these findings, placing them in the context of the college drinking intervention literature.


CONCLUSIONS
College drinking remains a daunting problem on many campuses, but evidence-based strategies-such as those described in this supplement-provide hope that more effective solutions can be found. The Rapid Response initiative has helped solidify the necessary link between research and practice in college alcohol prevention and treatment.
Dejong
William
W
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. wdejong@bu.edu
Larimer
Mary E
ME
Wood
Mark D
MD
Hartman
Roger
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000458:organization & administration; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000517:prevention & control; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D009042:Motivation; D054563:National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (U.S.); D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data