Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: ABSTRACT \nTHE EFFECTS OF A TEAM-CENTERED INTERVENTION ON THE \nDRINKING BEHAVIORS OF COLLEGE ATHLETES \nby \nLuke Reid \nMaster of Arts in Kinesiology \nCalifornia State University, Chico \nSpring 2009 \nThe abuse of alcohol by college students is well documented. Studies have revealed \nthat the problem is even larger among student-athletes, who report drinking even \nmore than their non-athlete peers. Such behavior may result from the strong social ties \nformed in a team setting. These social ties are often associated with binge drinking. \nAlong with an increase in dangerous drinking comes an increase in negative firsthand \nand secondhand consequences. Thus, the problems associated with dangerous drinking \nbehaviors loom even larger for student-athletes. \nThe purpose of this study was to explore whether college athletes who were \neducated in a team setting with the NCAA CHAMPS Alcohol Choices and Addictive \nBehaviors course, and then asked to formulate a team-wide contract in response to that \neducation, would alter their drinking behaviors. \nvii \nThe study was done on a residential campus of more than 15,000 students, approximately \n300 of which are involved in intercollegiate athletics. Seven of the university???s \n13 intercollegiate athletic teams participated in the study. Every athlete on four of \nthe 2005-06 rosters made up the experiment group (n=87). The athletes on three of the \n2005-06 rosters made up the control group (n=70). There were 32 females and 38 males \nin the control group, and 47 females and 40 males in the experimental group. The sample \nwas representative of the university???s entire student-athlete population in terms of age \nand gender. \nThe 2001 Harvard School of Public Health CAS questionnaire adapted was \nused for the pre- and post-test. The questionnaire featured questions about alcohol use \nand its consequences. \nHowever, no significant changes were revealed in the results following an exploration \nof the statistics with SPSS. The difficulties of engaging in research aimed at \nunderstanding the trends and reasons for alcohol consumption among college-athletes \nbecame increasingly evident as this research project unfolded. Many lessons were learned \nthat will undoubtedly benefit future research projects aimed at understanding these behaviors. \nFuture research in this field can take a number of different forms. It may be \nmore effective to structure alcohol education interventions during an athlete???s off-season. \nIt may also be more effective to target younger athletes before they develop drinking habits \nthey may bring to the university setting or form once they arrive on campus. A possible \ndifference between student-athletes who participate in ???individual??? sports (e.g., track, \nviii \ndiving, golf) versus those who compete in more ???team??? oriented sports (i.e. basketball or \nfootball) could also lend insight. Another tact would be to use techniques such as interviewing \nand observation, which might provide as clearer picture of why student-athletes \ndrink, as opposed to just how much they drink. \nWhile it is certainly disappointing that the student-athletes??? drinking behaviors \ndid not significantly improve with the intervention introduced in this study, in retrospect, \nhaving a more multi-faceted design for gathering data may have also yielded results \nthat would help expand on current theories regarding dangerous drinking behaviors.
Author: Luke Reid
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2233218931