title: How college students conceptualize and practice responsible drinking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to employ a mixed-methods approach to (a) qualitatively explore responsible drinking beliefs and behaviors among a sample of college students, and (b) quantitatively assess the prevalence of those behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Convenience samples, drawn from currently enrolled students attending a large public university in Texas, comprised 13 participants in the qualitative phase and a random sample of 729 students for the quantitative phase.
  
  
  METHODS
  A partially mixed sequential dominant status design (qual → QUAN) was employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PARTICIPANTS associated 7 distinct themes with drinking responsibly; however, embedded inside these themes were numerous potentially harmful elements. Quantitative findings supported the qualitative themes, also highlighting gender and ethnic differences. Males believed responsible drinking behaviors should occur with significantly less frequency than females, whereas Whites attached less relative necessity to certain responsible drinking behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study represents an initial attempt to determine specific, evidence-based characteristics of responsible drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. aebarry@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goodson
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003210:Concept Formation; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult