title: Student estimations of peer alcohol consumption: links between the Social Norms Approach and the Health Promoting University concept.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Social Norms Approach, with its focus on positive behaviour and its consensus orientation, is a health promotion intervention of relevance to the context of a Health Promoting University. In particular, the approach could assist with addressing excessive alcohol consumption.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article aims to discuss the link between the Social Norms Approach and the Health Promoting University, and analyse estimations of peer alcohol consumption among European university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4392 students from universities in six European countries and Turkey were asked to report their own typical alcohol consumption per day and to estimate the same for their peers of same sex. Students were classified as accurate or inaccurate estimators of peer alcohol consumption. Socio-demographic factors and personal alcohol consumption were examined as predictors for an accurate estimation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  72% of male and 51% of female students were identified as having accurate estimations about the amount of alcoholic drinks consumed per day by their peers. Male students, older students, those studying year 3 and above, and Turkish and Danish students were more likely to accurately estimate their peers' alcohol consumption. Independent from these factors, students' accurate estimation of peers' drinking decreased significantly with increasing personal consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As accurate estimates of peer alcohol consumption appear to affect personal drinking behaviour positively, social norms interventions targeted at correcting possible misperceptions about peer alcohol use among students may be a useful health promotion tool in the context of a health promoting university.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Health Promotion Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark cstock@health.sdu.dk.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology, University of Bradford, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mcalaney
authors.affiliation: Leibnitz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology BIPS, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pischke
authors.affiliation: Medical Sociology and Health Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium Research & Development, Occupational Health Services Mensura, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vriesacker
authors.affiliation: Medical Sociology and Health Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Hal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Marmara University Medical School, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yildiz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akvardar
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology & Health Psychology, PJ Safarik University in Kosice, the Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Orosova
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology & Health Psychology, PJ Safarik University in Kosice, the Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Ondrej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kalina
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarra, Spain Preventive Medicine Division, University of Navarra Clinic, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guillen-Grima
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, Academic Unit of Psychiatry, UK Behavioural Sciences, University of Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Bridgette M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Bewick
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D066262:Social Norms; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014421:Turkey; D014495:Universities
keywords: Health Promoting University; Social Norms Approach; alcohol consumption; university students