A particularly high-risk time on campus is the alcohol consumption associated with collegiate sporting events, specifically tailgating. The purpose of this dissertation was twofold; first, to identify and critically examine the literature on alcohol use at college sporting events, specifically football games; second, to assess college presidents’ perceptions of alcohol policies regulating alcohol consumption during tailgating using the Health Belief Model.
The literature review was accomplished by using multiple search engines, including Academic Search Complete, PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, Health Source, Sociological Collection, SocINDEX, APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar to examine articles published on alcohol use among college students at collegiate sporting events, or football game-day. To be included in the literature review, articles must have been published in the United States within the year 2000 to 2019.
A cross-sectional research design was used for the second study, which comprised of a 20-item survey questionnaire assessing college president’s perceptions of alcohol use during college sporting events. The survey instrument included items assessing the Stages of Change from the Transtheoretical Model, as well as the perceived benefits, barrier, severity, and susceptibility constructs from the Health Belief Model. A population census was conducted utilizing the 2019 NCAA Division-I Football Bowl Subdivision listing (N=130).
The critical literature review search yielded 25, scientific, peer-reviewed articles involving alcohol use associated with college football games. In many of the studies, researchers used cross-sectional study designs (72%), obtained convenience samples (32%), and did not include reliability and/or validity measures (48%). Data were collected either online (36%), with a paper and pencil questionnaire (32%), hybrid (in-person and online) (12%), or case-study (12%). Three topics emerged from the literature, including alcohol related epidemiological trends (drinking behavior on game-day, negative consequences, and gender), social norm perceptions, and alcohol policies.
In the second study, university presidents and chancellors from 130 Division I Football Subdivision (FBS) schools were selected to participate in a study assessing perceptions regarding safety issues pertaining to college sporting events. Respondents from 59 universities completed the survey, yielding a modest response rate of 49.6%. Collectively, respondents were categorized into senior-level administrators (presidents, chancellors, provosts), mid-level administrators (deans, department chairs, department directors), and specialists (substance abuse coordinators). Nearly two-thirds (62.7%; n=37) of the participants surveyed indicated their institution sold alcohol in the stadium, 12.5% (n=7) banned alcohol use during college sporting events, and the remaining schools allowed alcohol use with restrictions. Regarding tailgating, the majority (68.4%) of respondents indicated their institution had a policy regulating alcohol consumption. Multiple regression analyses were used to assess which constructs of the HBM were most predictive of presidential support for alcohol policies on game-day. The perceived benefits was the only construct yielding statistically significant results for both presidential support for restrictive alcohol polices as well as opposition for the sale of alcohol within the stadium. Notably, the enforcement of alcohol regulations during college football games varied across the spectrum (rarely, sometimes, often, always).
Overall, event specific research, particularly studies addressing the alcohol use associated with college sporting events constitutes an emerging area of study. Results from the literature review demonstrate that college football games signify a time whereby fans consume alcohol at higher rates than they do during other social occasions. The scientific rigor employed by the researchers varied from study to study and several gaps in the literature were identified. In particular, a current national study identifying drinking patterns and alcohol related policies would allow universities to compare their institution to others and benchmark prevalence rates. Additionally, rigorous studies utilizing randomized control trials, thorough evaluation of interventions, especially related to policy implementation, and information from senior-level administrators about how to address game-day safety issues are lacking from the literature.
Findings from the second study indicated that universities were at various stages in terms of their readiness to address the alcohol consumption associated with tailgating. Multivariate analysis revealed the perceived benefits construct from the HBM was associated with support for implementing restrictive alcohol polices. Thus, emphasizing the benefits of policy implementation should be used to generate policy change for college sporting events. While the opinions of university presidents and other senior administrators are essential, additional information could be obtained by assessing athletic directors and prevention specialists. Qualitative data may also provide information on why key stakeholders feel the way they do about various game-day prevention related policies. Ultimately the results from both studies can be used to create a safer game-day environment and reduce the liability universities may incur for the alcohol consumption that frequently occurs during college sporting events.