Decreasing Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs on a College Campus: Exploring Potential Factors Related to Change

• Published in: Journal of student affairs research and practice Vol. 46; no. 2; pp. 293 - 312
• Main Authors: English, Erin M., Shutt, Michael D., Oswalt, Sara B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 09.07.2009; De Gruyter; NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• Subjects: Age Groups; Alcohol Abuse; Campuses; Demography; Differences; Incidence; Prevention; Smoking
• ISSN: 0027-6014; 1559-5455; 1559-5455; 1949-6605
• DOI: 10.2202/1949-6605.6037

High-risk alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use has been a persistent problem on college campuses despite decades of prevention programming. However, some universities may begin to experience a lower prevalence of high-risk behaviors, not because of education efforts, but because of generational changes in the incoming student population. This study examined the ATOD use of incoming students (n = 5,964) at a large, southeastern, public university over a 5-year period. The data demonstrated an overall decrease in incoming students’ ATOD use, which may be connected to the defining characteristics of the Millennial generation—a need for structure, respect for authority, a tendency to follow rules and institutional policies, and an appreciation for the institution’s increasing focus on academic rigor—as well as increased ethnic diversity of the generation. As increasing numbers of Millennials enter college, these results become critically important for prevention work and policy development.