Tavis Jared Glassman

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to evaluate the Respect YOU program's impact on students' eating expectancies, body image satisfaction levels, self-efficacy, and knowledge. A total of 444 (intervention cohort n = 348, control cohort n = 96) underclassmen enrolled in health or physical education courses from 7 high schools in the Midwest participated in the study. METHODS: A repeated measure research design was utilized to assess students' eating expectancies, body image satisfaction levels, self-efficacy, and knowledge. More specifically, paired t-tests were conducted to compare outcome measurements to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. RESULTS: Among the students who received the intervention (n = 348), there was a statistically significant change in scores for eating expectancies (Z = -14.403, p < .001), body image satisfaction levels (Z = -14.114, p < .001), social media self-efficacy (Z = 14.868, p < .001), and knowledge scales (Z = -16.100, p < .001) at post-intervention and compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the Respect YOU program was effective in improving body image scores, eating expectancies, self-esteem, and knowledge-related outcomes among students post-intervention. These results can be used to further develop educational programming to address body image concerns and disordered eating among adolescents.

The demand for transplantable organs has outpaced the supply. Thus, 20 Americans die every day while waiting for an organ. Although most adults support organ donation, 42% are not registered. The rate is even lower among young adults who are not enrolled in/never graduated from college. The aim of this study was to use the Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) to identify factors that predicted organ donation registration among a racially diverse sample of non-student young adults. The study was observational and cross-sectional. Proportional allocation was used to identify a racially diverse sample of 550 non-student, young adults from ten states in the U.S. with the lowest registration rates. A valid and reliable survey was designed, pilot-tested, and administered. A total of 407 young adults completed the survey (74%). Only 19% were registered donors. Caucasians were more likely to be registered donors than racial minorities, χ² (3, N = 407) = 15.19, p = 0.002. Those with more positive direct attitudes toward registration were 1.5 times more likely to be registered than those who had negative direct attitudes. Among non-registrants, indirect descriptive norm and direct attitude were statistically significant predictors of behavioral intention. Moreover, those who knew someone who donated an organ and knew someone who needed a transplant were nearly three times more likely to intend to register in the next year. The IBM proved useful in elucidating factors that predicted intention to register among non-student young adults. The IBM should be used by those who desire to increase registration rates.

Objective: With medical and recreational marijuana legislation expanding throughout the country, the need to educate high-risk populations is evident. The purpose of this study was to assess college students’ perceptions of health communication messages comparing primary and secondary prevention messages concerning marijuana. Participants: Participants (n = 487) included college students, ages 18–25, enrolled in a Midwestern University. Methods: Participants assessed messages based on likeability, creativity, believability, persuasiveness, relevance, and usefulness using an online questionnaire that also included open-end comments. Results: Rasch analyses indicate that nonmarijuana users rated primary prevention messages higher than secondary prevention messages, whereas marijuana users ranked secondary prevention messages more favorably than primary prevention messages. Conclusion: Interventions designed to address marijuana use among college students may be more effective if tailored toward user status. Specifically, primary prevention materials should be designed for abstainers, while secondary prevention messages that focus on harm reduction strategies should be used with marijuana users.

Background: The many consequences related to alcohol consumption among college students are well documented. Drunkorexia, a relatively new term and area of research, is characterized by skipping meals to reduce caloric intake and/or exercising excessively in attempt to compensate for calories associated with high volume drinking. Objective: The objective of this study was to use the Elaboration Likelihood Model to compare the impact of central and peripheral prevention messages on alcohol consumption and drunkorexic behavior. Methods: Researchers employed a quasi-experimental design, collecting pre- or post-test data from 172 college students living in residence halls at a large Midwestern university, to assess the impact of the prevention messages. Participants in the treatment groups received the message in person (flyer), through email, and via a text message in weekly increments. Results: Results showed that participants exposed to the peripherally framed message decreased the frequency of their alcohol consumption over a 30-day period (p =.003), the number of drinks they consumed the last time they drank (p =.029), the frequency they had more than five drinks over a 30-day period (p =.019), as well as the maximum number of drinks they had on any occasion in the past 30 days (p =.014). Conclusions/Importance: While more research is needed in this area, the findings from this study indicate that researchers and practitioners should design peripheral (short and succinct), rather than central (complex and detailed), messages to prevent drunkorexia and its associated behaviors.

This report examines the rationale for creating a tobacco-free campus to utilize in passing antitobacco policies, and recommendations for overcoming barriers. As with any type of advocacy effort, a variety of impediments exist, including lack of administrative and staff support, absence of student involvement, and sparse resources. A variety of potential remedies and advocacy opportunities are explored and delineated.

Alcohol use and the related consequences associated with college football games are a serious public health issue for university communities. Objective: Examining “Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption” (ERAC), defined as consuming 10 or more drinks on game day for a male, and 8 or more drinks for a female, is the focus of this study. Participants: In the fall of 2006, college students ages 18 to 24 were randomly selected to complete the Game Day Survey. Methods: Researchers utilized a cross sectional research design to collect data. Results: Sixteen percent of the respondents engaged in ERAC on game day, whereas 36% drank 5 or more drinks (4 or more for females). Male, Caucasian, Greek (members of a social fraternity or sorority), and students of legal drinking age consumed alcohol at disproportionately high rates. Conclusion: Alcohol use is common on game day, with a significant percentage of students placing themselves at risk by drinking large amounts of alcohol.

Members in the prevention and treatment fields continue to examine how to most effectively assess and label high volume alcohol consumption. Terms such as “binge” drinking have resulted in considerable controversy and debate. Conventionally the criteria for assessing high-risk drinking includes: five or drinks for men and four or more drinks for women during a sitting/event/occasion within the previous two weeks. Several standardized instruments simply use the cut off for high-risk drinking as five or more drinks and do not include the gender variable when defining this behavior. Both of these measures have undergone criticism for not including a more specific time element. Yet asking respondents to recall specific time frames from a night of heavy drinking may also compromise validity. Further the 5+/4+ or 5+ drinking criterion does not adequately assess intoxication levels or more extreme levels of alcohol consumption. A variety of special measures and terms have been created to capture heavy drinking behaviors and ritualistic behavior. Researchers and practitioners may benefit by using different measures and terms based on context and their specific prevention goals.

This study assessed the extent to which the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) correctly predicted college student’s motivation to consume alcohol on game day based on alcohol consumption rates. Three cohorts of 1,000 participants each (N = 3,000) were randomly selected and invited to complete an anonymous web-based survey the Monday following one of three designated college home football games. Path analyses were conducted to determine which of the TPB constructs were most effective in predicting Behavioral Intention and alcohol consumption among social, high-risk, and extreme drinkers. Social drinkers, high-risk, and those drinkers who engage in Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption (ERAC) were defined as males who consumed 1–4, 5–9, or 10 or more drinks on game day (1–3, 4–8, or nine or more drinks for females), respectively. Attitude Towards the Behavior and Subjective Norm constructs predicted participant’s intentions to consume alcohol and corresponding behavior among all three classifications of drinkers; whereas the Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) construct inconsistently predicted intention and alcohol consumption. Based on Behavioral Intention, the proportion of variance the TPB model explained decreased as participants alcohol consumption increased. It appears that the TPB constructs Attitude Toward the Behavior and Subjective Norm can effectively be utilized when designing universal prevention interventions targeting game day alcohol consumption among college students. However, the applicability of the PBC construct remains in question. While select constructs in the TPB appear to have predictive ability, the usefulness of the complete theoretical framework is limited when trying to predict high-risk drinking and ERAC. These findings suggest that other behavioral theories should be considered when addressing the needs of high-risk and extreme drinkers.