Running head: BINGE DRINKING HEALTH CAMPAIGN

The Analyzation and Findings of

The Binge Drinking Campaign at Bryant University
Georgy Terzoglou
Bryant University

BINGE DRINKING HEALTH CAMPAIGN

The Analyzation and Findings of

The Binge Drinking Campaign at Bryant University
Importance of Binge Drinking at Bryant University
Binge drinking is a pertinent health issue that occurs on most college campuses across the
country. According to College Binge Drinking: Deviant Versus Mainstream Behavior, Over
40% of college students have been found to engage in heavy episodic alcoholic use or binge
drinking (Leppel, 2006, p. 519). The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(2016) defines binge drinking as drinking that results in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
level of 0.08 g/dL (grams per deciliter). This usually occurs after four drinks in females and five
drinks in males in about a two hour time period (Defining Drinking Levels, 2015). Individuals
who participate in binge drinking are not necessarily considered to be alcohol dependent, despite
their excessive amount of consumption. Binge drinking does have negative consequences on
individuals who constantly participate in it. It is associated with various health risks, including:
unintentional injuries (car crashes, falls, burns, and drowning), intentional injuries (firearm
injuries, sexual assault, and domestic violence), alcohol poisoning, risky sexual behaviors,
cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and neurological damage (CDC, 2015).
A statistic posted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims, about 90%
of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge
drinks (CDC, 2015). Many students on college campuses participate in these activities because
it is part of the overall social norm. In reference to scholarly research, officials analyzed binge
drinking in the terms of the social bond theory. The social bond theory consists of the connection
among the individual and society. It is suggested that when the social bond is weak or lacking,
deviant behaviors (like binge drinking) occur (Leppel, 2006). According to Leppel (2006), there
are four elements to the social bond theory: attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief.

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All of these four elements are related with a traditional culture, as well as a secondary or
deviant culture. Each of them are associated with different behaviors and norms. Attachment, the
first element of the social bond theory, refers to the individuals ties to others. In the traditional
culture, attachments are usually made with family members who support positive behaviors, like
attending college, and likely-discourage deviant behaviors, such as, binge drinking. In the
secondary culture, representative of deviance, an individuals attachment might instead be
formed with a fraternity brother or sorority sister who promotes binge drinking. Another element
of the social bond theory, involvement, refers to the time an individual spends engaged in
behavior promoted by the society. In traditional culture, it is understood that college students
should devote time to studying. The deviant, secondary culture instead promotes the important of
binge drinking as an activity that builds camaraderie (Leppel, 2006). In her discussion of the
involvement element of the social bond theory, Leppel (2006) cites research by the American
Journal of Public Health, which found that students who felt that academic work is not very
important were more likely to binge drink than other students (Leppel, 2006).
One of the most troubling consequences of binge drinking, specifically among college
students, is the effect it has on academic performance. In fact, academic difficulties are the most
frequently reported consequence of excessive student drinking (Howland, Rohsenow, Greece,
Littlefield, Almeida, Heeren, Winter, Bliss, Hunt & Hermos, 2009, p. 655). As with medical
traumas, academic difficulties associated with drinking manifest in various different forms. Some
academic repercussions associated with heavy drinking include, hangover results in missing
morning classes, drinking uses time otherwise spent studying, drinking impedes next-day
learning in class or, when studying, by affecting memory retention, and personal and
interpersonal problems resulting from heavy drinking may make it difficult to focus on school

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work (Howland et al., 2009, p. 655). Excessive drinking can have a detrimental impact on
college students academics, which is concerning, especially considering that academics are
intended to be the focal point of a college students life.
Binge drinking at Bryant University is a pertinent health issue that occurs on campus.
Most students regularly consume and engage in this act multiple days of the week. Individuals
may take part in these activities for multiple different reasons, such as, feeling like they need to
fit in with the rest of the crowd. Relating back to the social bond theory, many students are not
participating in this behavior to be deviant, but because it is the mainstream culture on a college
campus. Individuals may also be involved with binge drinking because of the minimal amount of
activities and outings surrounding the Bryant campus. If students chose not to participate in these
binge drinking activities, they feel as though they are not part of the general community at
Bryant University. Most of the students on campus are currently unaware of how much they are
actually drinking when they take part in these social activities during the week and on weekends.
With the proper information, students may be intrigued to learn more about what they are
actually consuming. Students will hopefully be able to consume alcohol in a safe way,
eliminating major health risks and mishaps.
Surveying Our Student Sample
Binge drinking is clearly a concern for the college population, which is why many
researchers have created health campaigns in an attempt to reduce drinking about college
students and educate them on an issue. To tailor a health issue to the Bryant campus, research
was conducted on a sample of thirty random and anonymous members of the population to
uncover perceptions about drinking and habits that come along with it.

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In order to conduct formative research on binge drinking on Bryant Universitys campus,

surveys were sent out to a number of students. These surveys mostly consisted of a convenience
sample, as they were posted on different forms of social media and sent to students e-mail for
them to take. The survey questioned students on campus about their specific demographics in
order to better understand the background of the subjects. According to the results of the survey,
the subjects ranged from ages 19 to 21 years old. This age bracket represented our intended
audience in which we planned on targeting through our campaign process. The age results also
note that most students are under the age of 21 years old, which means they are making their
own alcoholic beverages, rather than obtaining alcoholic beverages from reputable and trained
individuals. When analyzing gender, it was found that most of the subjects surveyed (80 percent)
were female. The results of the survey may have been skewed according to gender because as
being females ourselves, majority of our peers are predominately female as well. As the
campaign process progressed, it was intended to target both male and female students in an equal
manner. It was also found that all but one student who took the survey said they were from the
United States. Former research shows that the typical college culture in the United States
consists of an ample amount of partying and binge drinking, which people find to be the norm.
The results of the survey also showed that each participant was of Caucasian decent. It was
believed that race is not a factor in constructing our health campaign if the majority of our
participants were from the United States to begin with.
To get a sense of how students on campus perceive binge drinking, they were asked,
How severe is the drinking problem at Bryant University? on a five-point Likert scale. It was
concluded that students considering drinking to be at issue because not one person rated it is as
one. Majority of the students reported it at a level three, indicating that there is a noticeable issue

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on campus. In order to test some of the surveyed students knowledge, they were asked, how
many drinks in a two hour period do you think constitutes as excessive drinking? which
prompted students to select between zero and seven or more. After reading the results, it was
surprising to find that the majority of students seemed to have an understanding as to how many
drinks classify as excessive drinking. If students know what excessive drinking consists of, why
are they participating in these activities? These questions were asked on a pre-testing basis to see
if the target audience was educated about the general overview of binge drinking. It was essential
to create a campaign that helped with the modification of consuming alcohol based on these
results, as opposed to one that promotes completely cutting the behavior out. By doing this, more
students will be inclined to listen and partake in a campaign that is not trying to tell them to stop
overall.
Designing the Campaign
After analyzing results obtained from the pre-testing phase, it was decided that the Health
Belief Model would be the most effective way to guide the health campaign design. This model
uses both psychology and cognitive appraisals related to risk to help inform message concepts
that are needed for motivation to comply with a specific behavior. The assumption of using this
model is that individuals will take on the action if they feel that a negative condition can be
avoided regarding a specific behavior. It is also assumed that people will have a positive
expectation by responding to the recommended action from the campaign. This will eventually
cause the individual to avoid the negative health conditions and believe that they can
successfully take on the recommended actions towards the certain health issue. The Health Belief
Model outlines five different core components that include: perceived susceptibility, perceived
severity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits and cues to action. The model projects that the

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levels of susceptibility and severity will work together to lure individuals to act on their current
health behaviors. When perceived barriers and benefits combine with one another, it provides the
information and means in which the individual should act towards changing their current
behaviors. In addition to these aspects, demographic elements, such as, age, sex, and race, can
also impact all of the core factors of the Health Belief Model.
Because binge drinking is such a common behavior that happens on college campuses in
the United States, a health campaign directed at quitting the behavior is ineffective. A health
campaign created towards modifying the behavior is more effective. In order to implement the
idea of modification in regards to binge drinking, the idea of creating an app was done. The app,
Teachable Tonics and Responsible Spirits, is a program where individuals can input their
biological indicators (sex, weight/height), as well as how much food intake they had that day,
and the app will calculate the amount of alcohol the user can consume in a specific time period.
It would work as a calculator to tell the user what their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) would
be and associated that level with a possible outcome. For example, if someone calculated a .10
BAC, their ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately while driving would be
dramatically reduced. The app also includes a section where users can read and learn different
professional recipes of how to make certain alcoholic beverages. This section of the app was
created for users to learn the correct amount of alcohol content in certain beverages, instead of
guessing and initially overdoing it. If individual has access to making an alcoholic beverage with
professional guidelines of how much alcohol content, it allows them to modify themselves and
drinking responsibly. The app also features a section for users to read up on facts and statistics
relevant to binge drinking behaviors. This is intended to remind users that though there are ways

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to safely consume alcohol, it is still important to be extra cautious while partaking in the
behavior.
Analysis of Other Binge Drinking Campaigns and Approaches
Health campaigns are an important aspect of the present-day community. They are
intended to inform and educate the individuals of the general public on a certain health issue.
Research shows that whether or not people talk about health issues can influence the outcome of
the campaigns effects (Hendrinks, Bruijn & van den Putte, 2012). There are currently many
health campaigns regarding binge drinking and its effects on college students in todays society.
Some widely-known campaigns advocating the effects of binge drinking include: Rutgers
Universitys, RU SURE Campaign, the Less Than U Think Campaign, Australias Dont
Turn A Night Out Into A Nightmare, and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions
(CDC), Binge Drinking Radio PSA.
Most health campaigns aimed at eliminating binge drinking use social marketing, such as
mass-mediated persuasive messages (Hendrinks et al., 2012). These messages are intended to
inform and encourage them individuals to change their negative behaviors involving binge
drinking. According to research, The relevance of investigating indirect pathways within media
effects has been emphasized by many researchers who claim that the relationship between
independent and dependent variables can only be fully understood when intervening variables
are also taken into account (Hendricks et al., 2012, p. 844). When analyzing campaign
outcomes, intervening variables are found to be particularly important in regards to anti-alcohol
and alcohol consumption when they are communicated interpersonally. This is said because
many college students and young adults consume alcohol in a social setting and may discuss
alcohol messages regularly within their settings (Hendricks et al., 2012). Scholars have stressed

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that interpersonal communication plays a critical role when trying to pass on information
provided through a certain message (Hendricks et al., 2012).
The purpose of the Rutgers Universitys RU SURE campaign is to tackle the culture of
college drinking and inform first-year students that excessive drinking is not actually the norm.
This campaign has a website that leads all viewers to a homepage of its intended goals and what
the campaign itself entails. The site catches the audiences attention as they lead with a statistic
that states, 2/3 of Rutgers students stop at 3 or fewer; 1/5 dont drink at all (Center for
Communication and Health Issues, 2015). Other than the list of foals and few statistics, the
campaign seems to be missing many key components to ensure effectiveness. The website does
not have any elements that are interactive for the audience to engage with. Some kind of social
media should be incorporated into the campaign to make it effective within the millennial
generation because that is what they seem to respond best to. As individuals view this campaign,
they may feel as though they are being lectured, rather than informed on their misconceptions of
binge drinking. Other than the intended goal outcomes, the campaign does not do much to
change the attitudes or behaviors of students.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a 60-second radio ad,
Binge Drinking PSA, in October 2010. It informs listeners that binge drinking can cause more
than 79,000 deaths in the United States each year. It tells listeners that it is the third leading
preventable cause of death. The statistics and information included in the radio clip warn
listeners about the negative effects that can occur when participating in binge drinking behaviors.
It uses the fear factor to try and pull in their audience, with the goal of trying to get them to
ultimately change their attitudes and behaviors. The short message effectively raises awareness
to the issue without lecturing the audience for a long period of time. The issue with the display of

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this campaign is that it was aired on CDC Radio. The campaign does not entirely reach all of
its viewers through this medium, especially the main target, college students. Many individuals
part of the millennial generation do not even listen to informative radio. The campaign should air
on different mediums, YouTube, and other social media sites, in order for it to be effective. It
could also use a voice of a young adult, rather than a middle-aged adult, so that that college
students can related to the issue itself even more.
The Less Than U Think is a campaign created by students aiming to target the negative
consequences of binge drinking at the University of Alabama. They use different forms of humor
to focus in on the destructive social concerns of what can happen when a student binge drinks.
The website of the campaign is very interactive for students to navigate through. The homepage
displays different advocating posters in a slide show form. Each poster features a you think
phrase pertaining to what college students think will not happen until they have had a certain
amount of drinks to reach an intoxicated state. The posters are relatable to general college
students universally. The campaign is also willing to work with students at other college
campuses to help bring awareness and this campaign to their schools. It provides a chance for
students to take control of the issues for themselves and spread awareness at many different
colleges across America. Even though the campaign has many effective parts to it, it does not
provide many facts or statistics that can educate or inform students on the issue of binge
drinking. Because the campaign was created by college students, it would be more effective to
possibly add real-life experiences from other students about their experiences with binge
drinking. This element would allow students to feel more related to the issue if they could other
students stories about what they have individually gone through.
The Final Campaign Product

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For the final campaign, the Health Belief Model was adopted to meet the criteria of the
binge drinking campaign. It analyzes the individual based on perceived susceptibility, perceived
severity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and cues to action. In the beginning of the
campaign process (perceived susceptibility), the individual contemplates the belief that they
could potentially fall victim to some danger related to the behaviors of binge drinking. Once they
realize how serious the health condition can be (perceived severity), they begin to think of what
were to happen if they experienced the life-altering aspects of binge drinking. As the individuals
progress, they begin to think about potential barriers, such as, their belief that they will be able to
use and access the app. The individual also contemplates their perceived benefits, like their belief
that the app will be able to prevent them from engaging in dangerous binge drinking behaviors.
To conclude the Health Belief Model, the individual contemplates the cues to action, how
information and access to the app can educate them in consuming alcoholic safely.
The final campaign also had three different SMART objectives that wanted to be
achieved during the process. The first objective was, by the end of the 2016 academic year, 80
percent of participants will be able to properly identify appropriate alcohol measurements for
their consumption. A successful campaign will show that majority of the students at Bryant will
be able to measure out specific alcohol contents and know how much they are actually
consuming. A second objective of the campaign was, by the end of the campaign duration, there
will be a 20 percent reduction in severe drinking habits amongst students at Bryant University. It
is projected that students will decrease their negative binge drinking behaviors and consume
alcoholic beverages in a more responsible way now that they have the materials to do so. The last
objective of the campaign was that it will result in 70 percent of students at Bryant University

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understanding proper drinking guidelines, as well as being able to make appropriately measured
alcoholic beverages.
In order for the binge drinking campaign app to be implemented, it would be necessary to
contact individuals that can help assemble the technology and rights of doing so. Funding would
be needed to create the app because outside technology professionals would need to be contacted
to generate the app and its features. The barriers that occur in the implementation phase is that it
may be difficult to receive additional funding for a binge drinking app because some higher
officials at the university may think it is a way to promote drinking. The app will also be
available for students to be educated on how to drink responsibly. It will incorporate interactive
ways on how to achieve responsible drinking, like entering information to calculate body mass
index (BMI), providing different recipes for drinks, and providing basic facts and statistics. A
launch event will be held in April at Bryant during National Alcohol Awareness Month.
The health campaign process takes the individual through different actions, findings, and
a concrete plan. It is an explained progression of how it initially began, what was done, why it
was done and what was found as the end results. Binge drinking at Bryant University is an issue
that occurs, just like at any other college campus. Students are not willing to completely give up
the behavior, but are more willing to learn more and modify their behaviors based on this idea of
the app. This idea of the app was created for students to realize what negative binge drinking
behaviors can do to individuals and what kind of measures can be taken in order to modify a
healthier lifestyle.

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References
Center for Communication and Health. (2015). RU SURE Campaign. Command Health Issues
at

Rutgers University. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from

http://commandhealthissues.rutgers.edu/ru-sure.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Associate Director for
Communications & Division of Public Affairs. (2015, March 15). Binge Drinking PSA.
CDC Radio. Podcast. Podcast retrieved from
http://www.2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=3452283
Drinking levels defined. (2015). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved
from: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate
binge-drinking
Fact sheets binge drinking (2015). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved
from: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
Hendricks, H., de Bruihn, G-J., & van den Putte, B. (2012). Talking about alcohol consumption:
Health campaigns, conversational valence, and binge drinking intentions. British Journal
of Health Psychology, 17, 843-853.
Howland, J., Rohsenow, D., Greece, A. J., Littlefield, A. C., Almeida, A., Heeren, T., Winter,
M., Bliss, A. C., Hunt, S., & Hermos, J. (2009). The effects of binge drinking on college
students next-day academic test-taking performance and mood state. Society for the
Study of Addiction, 105, 655-665.
Leppel, K. (2006). College binge drinking: deviant versus mainstream behavior. The American
Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32, 519-525.

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University of Alabama. (2010). Less Than U Think Campaign. Retrieved February 20, 2016
from http://www.ltut.org/#!about/c1z0x

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Appendix A
Survey for Formative Research on Bryant University Students
The Perception of Binge Drinking on College Campuses
You are invited to participate in a study of binge drinking on college campuses. We hope to
uncover the norms of drinking on campuses. You were selected as a possible participant in this
study because you are a college student.
Any information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential and will not be
disclosed to the general public in any way that can be traced to you. In any written reports or
publications, no participant other than the researchers will be identified, and only anonymous
data will be presented.
Country of Origin: _____________________
Anticipated Year of Graduation: __________
Age: ________
Ethnicity: ___________________
Gender: __________________
What do you consider to be an appropriate number of nights in a week to drink? (Number 1
to 7)
____________________
On average, how many drinks do you consume in a week? (Number 0 to 8 or more):
____________________
How many drinks in a two hour period do you think constitutes as excessive drinking?
(Number 0 to 7 or more):
____________________
What percentage of the student population do you believe participates in excessive
drinking?
A.) 0-20%
B.) 21-40%
C.) 41-60%
D). 61-80%
E.) 81-100%
How severe is the drinking problem at Bryant University? (Rate from 1 to 5; 1=not severe,
5=extremely severe)
______________________