Frequency of Binge Drinking and Perception of Peer Alcohol Use: A Survey of University Students in a Western Canadian Province.

Abstract

College and university student binge drinking is a critical health issue, and studies demonstrate students perceive high rates of drinking among their peers. High alcohol consumption and binge drinking are normalized throughout college and university, and there are gross misperceptions of perceived alcohol use among peers. The purpose of our study was to examine differences in perceptions of peer alcohol use after grouping students based on their frequency of binge drinking over a 2-week period. A one-way analysis of variance test was used to compare the differences in the perception of peer alcohol use after grouping students by their frequency of binge drinking. Students who binge drink have significantly higher perceptions of peer alcohol use than their non-binge-drinking and abstaining peers. These findings provide direction toward the feasibility of using perceptions of peer alcohol use to identify at-risk students to curtail dangerous drinking behavior.