A study of the relationship between protective behaviors and drinking consequences among undergraduate college students

Abstract. The authors identified the number, type, and trequency of protective behaviors that undergraduate college students who consume alcohol use to prevent alcohol-related consequences. Their hypothesis was that students who engage in more types of protective behaviors with greater frequency would be less likely to experience alcohol-related consequences. Participants consisted of a randomly selected sample of 1.355 undergraduates aged 18 years and older at a large public university. Students completed a mailed questionnaire on alcohol and health behaviors in spring 2002. The findings (after adjustment for covariates) indicated that self-protective behaviors are inversely associated with alcohol-related problems for women but not for men. The influences of gender and racial and ethnic dif-ferences are considered in relation to prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing alcohol-related consequences on col-lege campuses. Key Words: alcohol use, college drinking, heavy drinking, pro-tective factors A Icohol use and misuse have been documented in a number of college-specific surveys, including the College Alcohol Study (CAS),'- the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Studies (CORE), ' the National Col-lege Health Assessment,6 and others,7 ' 8 as well as in popula-tion-based surveys such as Monitoring the Future9 ' 0 and th