Development of a student engagement approach to alcohol prevention: the Pragmatics Project.
Significant involvement of students in the development and implementation of college alcohol prevention strategies is largely untested, despite recommendations by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the Pragmatics Project was to test a student engagement model for developing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies.


METHODS
The Pragmatics Project involved 89 undergraduate students on a large Midwestern university campus in the design and implementation of projects focused on reducing harm associated with high-risk drinking and off-campus parties.


RESULTS
The engagement model used an innovative course piloted in the Human Development and Family Science department. The course successfully involved both students and the community in addressing local alcohol issues.


CONCLUSIONS
The course design described would fit well into a Master of Public Health, Community Psychology, Health Psychology, or interdisciplinary curricula as well as the service learning model, and it is applicable in addressing other health risk behaviors.
Buettner
Cynthia K
CK
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. buettner.16@osu.edu
Andrews
David W
DW
Glassman
Michael
M
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003479:Curriculum; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D054563:National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (U.S.); D009820:Ohio; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D040241:Social Marketing; D013334:Students; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities