JMU averages 17% higher binge drinking than national average 2008 to 2011

JMU uses two survey instruments to assess drinking behavior of JMU students. The two instruments are:

1.  The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey

The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was developed to measure alcohol and other drug usage, attitudes, and perceptions among college students at two and four-year institutions. Development of this survey was funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The survey includes several types of items about drugs and alcohol. One type deals with the students' attitudes, perceptions, and opinions about alcohol and other drugs, and the other deals with the students' own use and consequences of use. There are also several items on students' demographic and background characteristics as well as perception of campus climate issues and policy.

                        http://core.siu.edu/pdfs/report0911.pdf

2.  American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA-II)

The ACHA-National College Health Assessment (NCHA) is a nationally recognized research survey that can assist you in collecting precise data about your students’ health habits, behaviors, and perceptions. With the NCHA, you can determine the most significant health priorities and trends of your student body. More than 825,000 students at 550+ colleges and universities across the country have already taken the survey. The NCHA has been used by two-year and four-year public and private institutions from varied geographical regions, Carnegie Foundation Classifications, and campus settings.  National media, government policymakers, and prominent public health and higher education organizations have repeatedly cited NCHA data in articles, proposals, and presentations. What started as a pilot program in 1998 has now grown into an established and well-regarded tool that presents a rich picture of college student health.

                        http://www.acha-ncha.org/overview.html

           

            JMU decided to discontinue the Core survey after the 2010 administration and now uses only the ACHA-NCHA II survey.  In the table below are data that deal with binge drinking from the 2008-2011 survey administrations.

CORE defined the term binge drinking as having five or more drinks in a row in one sitting.  Part of how the CORE survey developed the definition of 4-5 drinks is that it is the amount of alcohol that must be consumed for an average male to meet the legal definition of intoxicated and would result in Driving Under the Influence charge.