Study: Diverse Campuses Have Lower Drinking Rates

Binge drinking is less common on more diverse college campuses, according to a recent study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (SPH).

The study found that colleges with more ethnic minorities, females and older students have lower drinking rates among those who are most likely to be problem drinkers—white, underage or male students.

“It may be that there are other role models [at more diverse colleges] for leisure activities on campus,” explained Lecturer on Social Psychology Henry Wechsler, the lead author of the study. “There are more options than just partying and drinking.”

Wechsler said the study could have implications for college admissions officials.

“In making decisions about admissions, colleges should recognize the many benefits of greater diversity on campus, including a possible decrease in problem drinking,” he said in a press release.

Wechsler and his colleagues at the SPH College Alcohol Study used data from more than 50,000 students at 114 predominantly-white colleges in the study.

The research showed that both students who had and had not been binge drinkers in high school were less likely to binge drink on college campuses with higher proportions of Asian, Black, and Latino students.

“We have always known certain demographic groups drink less than others, and we wanted to explore what factors could affect college drinking patterns,” Wechsler said.

Earlier research by the College Alcohol Study has shown how certain subgroups, namely females, older students and minorities, had lower rates of alcohol use and binge drinking.

In the study, binge drinking was defined for men as consuming five or more drinks in a row at some time within the last two weeks.

It was defined as consuming four or more drinks in a row for women.

The study also showed that schools with higher female enrollments tended to have lower binge drinking rates.

The correlation was more visible in small and medium enrollment schools than in large enrollment schools.

“It’s not simply the numbers though,” Wechsler said. “There is also the factor of residential patterns.”According to Wechsler, students living predominantly white fraternities and other homogenous living spaces consume more alcohol.

Critics of Wechsler have attacked his definition of binge drinking, suggesting that it should take into account weight and time intervals.

In August of this year, Wechlser drew criticism for a study which said attempts to curb binge drinking with “social norms” media campaigns—those aiming to prevent college students from overestimating their peers’ drinking habits—are highly ineffective.