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Drinking behavior from high school to young adulthood: differences by college education
C Raymond Bingham1, Jean T Shope, Xianli Tang
1Transportation Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2150, USA. rbingham@umich.edu
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|December 31, 2005
Summary
Young adults, regardless of education level, are at risk for heavy alcohol consumption. Early intervention is crucial to prevent prolonged at-risk drinking patterns across all educational paths.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- Recent alcohol-related incidents highlight at-risk drinking among college students.
- Heavy alcohol consumption is prevalent in young adults irrespective of educational attainment.
- Risks associated with alcohol misuse are common among young adults, regardless of their educational choices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate patterns of at-risk alcohol use.
- To examine the association between at-risk alcohol use and educational attainment in young adults.
- To compare drinking behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood across different education groups.
Main Methods:
- Compared at-risk alcohol use from 12th grade to young adulthood (age 24).
- Sample comprised never-married young adults.
- Participants were categorized into three education groups: high school or less, postsecondary education without a four-year degree, and completed college.
Main Results:
- Men who completed college showed the largest increase in at-risk drinking from 12th grade to young adulthood.
- Men who did not complete college exhibited high and sustained at-risk drinking levels.
- Women with a high school education or less reported the smallest increases in at-risk alcohol use.
- Differences in alcohol risk were not explained by residence or employment status.
Conclusions:
- Early intervention is necessary to prevent at-risk alcohol use.
- At-risk alcohol use is not exclusive to college-educated individuals and is not necessarily highest among them.