title: Examining Drinking Patterns and High-Risk Drinking Environments Among College Athletes at Different Competition Levels.
abstract: This study examined drinking patterns of three different college student groups: (a) intercollegiate athletes, (b) intramural/club athletes, and (c) nonathletes. Additionally, we investigated whether a relationship exists between drinking setting and risk of increased drinking. We analyzed data on the athletic involvement, drinking behaviors, and drinking settings of 16,745 undergraduate students. The findings revealed that drinking patterns for intramural/club athletes remained relatively consistent at all quantity levels; however, intercollegiate athletes consumed alcohol in higher quantities. Further, intramural/club athletes drank in almost every drinking setting, whereas intercollegiate athletes were more limited. The drinking patterns and settings suggest a stronger social motivation for drinking among intramural/club athletes than among intercollegiate athletes and point to a need to specify competition level when studying college athletes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, IA, USA miesha-marzell@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Miesha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marzell
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD, USA Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mair
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moynihan
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gruenewald
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D056352:Athletes; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: athletes; college drinking; drinking environments; intramural and club sports