Binge drinking tied to college culture
What is the cause of binge drinking by U.S. college students? A new study links it to college culture — campus environments that allow easy access to inexpensive alcohol and have weak control policies and lax enforcement.
The 14-year study by the Harvard School of Public Health involved more than 50,000 students at 120 colleges and found that heavy drinking behavior of students was more common in college environments that have a strong drinking culture.
One of the lead researchers, Toben Nelson (pictured), now at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said that binge drinking varies widely depending on the college.
"At some colleges almost no students binge drink, while at others nearly four in every five students do," Nelson said.
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