Lake Superior College 2004 National College Health Assessment: Traditional and Non-Traditional Student Alcohol Use and Behavior

Polly Johnston and
J Clark Laundergan
Center For Addiction Studies
University of Minnesota Duluth

Research Funding:
Miller-Dwan Foundation
Duluth , Minnesota

March 2006

Executive Summary

The following information was gathered from students who completed the national College Health Assessment at lake Superior College in the fall of 2004. For the purpose of this analysis, traditional students are defined as those aged 18 –24 and non- traditional students are define as students aged 25 and over. The other definition critical to the analysis is that those using alcohol were asked, “ The last time you “partied”/ socialized, how many alcoholic drinks did you have ?”. The number of drinks reported was then used to calculate the mean (arithmetic average). Those students drinking under the mean number of drinks and those drinking at or above the mean number of drinks constitute two drinking categories. The other category is the non drinkers.

Traditional / Non-Traditional

• Traditional students experience more “Negative Affects” on their academics (10.8%) from alcohol than do Non-Traditional students (4.8%).
• Non-Traditional student’s chronic pain has more “Negative Affects” (6.1%) on their academics than is found for Traditional students (0.6%).
• Traditional students have higher a proportion BAC levels at both .08 (56.7%) and .10 (48.5%) than Non-Traditional students with 27.5% at .08 BAC and 22.2% at .1 BAC.
• Non-Traditional students are more likely to have never used alcohol or not within the last thirty days (40.9%) compared to Traditional students (26.2%).
• Traditional students are more likely to have never used cigarettes (40.8%) or used cigarettes within the categories of 1-2 days up to 19 days in the last 30 days whereas 30.7% of Non-Traditional students use cigarettes all 30 days in contrast with 18.5% of Traditional students.
• Non-Traditional students have 36.9% with “A” GPA's in contrast with 21.3% “A” GPA’s among the Traditional students.
• Traditional students report experiencing more negative consequences from drinking (25.4% injury, 42.6% regret, 34.9% forgot where you were) than do Non-Traditional students (8.7% injury, 25.0%. regret, 15.7% forgot where you were).

Alcoholby Traditional and Non-Traditional Students

• The mean number of drinks for all students 6.23, but excluding the non drinkers it is 7.54 drinks consumed at the last drinking occasion
• Traditional Students have a mean number of drinks of 7.99 excluding non drinkers and Non-Traditional Students have a mean number of drinks of 6.37 and a higher percentage of Non-drinkers.
• The mean number of drinks for Traditional female students (18-24 years of age) is 6.35 and 9.91 drinks on the last drinking occasion for Traditional males.
• The mean number of drinks for Non-Traditional female students (25 years of age or older) is 4.98 and a mean number of drinks of 8.85 for Non-Traditional male students.
• At or above mean drinkers are more likely to have used alcohol between 6 to 30 days in the last 30 days: Traditional 67.4% and Non-Traditional (49.3%).

• At or above mean drinkers in both categories have higher percentages of persons who used cigarettes all of the last 30 days (Traditional 23.5%, Non-Traditional 38.4%.
• At or above mean drinkers are more likely to have experienced negative affects on their academics from drinking (15.9% Traditional and 8.2% Non-Traditional) and also to have experienced consequences from drinking.