The development of a model to predict drinking behavior from attitudes in university students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing college student drinking is crucial for developing effective interventions.
• Attitudes towards alcohol are hypothesized to play a significant role in drinking behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between college students' attitudes toward alcohol and their self-reported drinking levels.
• To create a stable predictive model for drinking behavior incorporating attitudes.

Main Methods:

• A Likert-type survey was developed and administered to 1049 college students to measure attitudes toward alcohol.
• Stepwise multiple regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of drinking behavior.
• A double cross-validation was performed to assess model stability.

Main Results:

• The developed survey demonstrated high reliability (coefficient alpha = .91).
• A seven-variable model explained 46% of the variance in alcohol consumption (R² = .46).
• Attitudes toward drinking emerged as the strongest predictor of self-reported drinking behavior.

Conclusions:

• College students' attitudes toward alcohol are a significant determinant of their drinking practices.
• The developed prediction model is stable and generalizable to similar college student populations.
• Findings support the integration of attitude assessment in strategies aimed at modifying student drinking behavior.