Pregaming: an exploratory study of strategic drinking by college students in Pennsylvania.
OBJECTIVE
This exploratory study examined pre-event drinking, or pregaming, by US college students.


METHODS
112 undergraduates from 10 Pennsylvania colleges participated.


METHODS
A focus group, including a written questionnaire, was conducted at each institution.


RESULTS
Only 35.7% of the participants had not pregamed during the last 2 weeks. Pregamers consumed an average of 4.9 (SD = 3.1) drinks during their most recent session. Gender, class year, and other demographic variables did not predict pregaming. Heavier drinkers, and those stating that the average student pregamed 3+ times in the last 2 weeks, were more likely to report pregaming in the last 2 weeks. How much students drink when pregaming is influenced by how much they expect to drink later on.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregaming presents a growing challenge for campus officials. Additional research is needed on the nature of the problem and which combination of prevention strategies might best address this behavior.
DeJong
William
W
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. wdejong@bu.edu
DeRicco
Beth
B
Schneider
Shari Kessel
SK
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult