title: Referent group proximity, social norms, and context: alcohol use in a low-use environment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived normative use of alcohol and reported consumption in an environment where relatively little alcohol use occurs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 585 undergraduate students completed an online survey on alcohol use in March 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants reported personal alcohol use and perceptions of use by "friends," "the average student," and "the average student who drinks."
  
  
  RESULTS
  Due to the large number of students reporting zero alcohol use, zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the data. Results showed that perceptions of use and beliefs about the acceptability of use by proximal groups were strongly and positively correlated with personal alcohol use. Perceptions of distal groups were either not correlated or were correlated negatively with personal use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the use of distal referent groups for a social norms campaign in a low-use environment may have paradoxical effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Jared M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009862:Online Systems; D010379:Peer Group; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol