In the United States, drinking alcohol is a threat to college students’ health. Several factors predict problematic alcohol consumption including participation in drinking games (i.e., a way to socialize while consuming alcohol in a competitive manner). The participation of college students in drinking games at house parties may be increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, certain factors might impact students’ willingness to embrace these coronavirus risk behaviors. For example, the gender composition of a house party may have an influence on comfortability to consume alcohol. Moreover, drinking games influence alcohol consumption due to competitiveness amongst genders. The purpose of this study is to examine how environmental factors (e.g., drinking games and the gender composition of people attending) have effects on alcohol consumption. The data collection is ongoing via an online survey using the snowball method by a mid-size midwestern university. We expect to find a strong correlation between environmental influences and alcohol consumption. We predict that the competitive nature of drinking games amongst different gender make-ups genders will directly impact alcohol consumption. For example, in mixed-gender settings, we hypothesize that participants will report higher levels of alcohol consumption. This study has the potential to inform future interventions and determine if certain environmental factors can lead to overconsumption.
Authors: Emma Humenay, Kayla Lemons & Dr. Rose Marie Ward, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Rose Marie Ward, Kinesiology and Health
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