Resources to Reduce Underage Drinking Risks and Associated Harms: Social Ecological Perspectives

Underage college student alcohol consumption results in adverse consequences for students, colleges, and communities. Unfortunately, college health practitioners have invested time and effort implementing interventions that either fail to account for the complexity of this public health problem or are not evidence-based. Consequently, in September 2015, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published CollegeAIM, which was developed to support higher education administrators and campus health/wellness professionals in selecting appropriate interventions for reducing harmful and underage drinking. CollegeAIM is a user-friendly, matrix-based tool that evaluates and synthesizes the peer-reviewed literature associated with nearly 60 campus and community interventions. This review uses the social ecological model to highlight individual- and environmental-level strategies evaluated in CollegeAIM matrices and is intended to be a tool in determining how best to implement resources to reduce college student alcohol use and associated harms. While CollegeAIM outlines strategies to be implemented among currently enrolled college students, it is important to note drinking behaviors for some students are established prior to entering college. Thus, interventions prior to enrolling in higher education are needed. As a resource for parents and for practitioners to use and share, the "Talk. They Hear You." mobile health (mHealth) app is also discussed and recommended.