Few Colleges Follow NIAAA Advice to Prevent Student Drinking

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) gave colleges detailed advice on how to prevent student drinking in 2002, but the recommendations have not been widely adopted, according to a new study from the University of Minnesota.

Brief interventions for high-risk students — one of the leading, science-based recommendations from the NIAAA — has been adopted by only half of the 351 schools surveyed in the eight years since the report was issued, and only about one in three schools collaborate with local communities on alcohol control through steps like server training, restrictions on alcohol outlets, or drinking-age compliance checks.

About one in five college administrators said they were unaware of the NIAAA recommendations. “Unfortunately, what we’ve found is that little progress in the implementation of the recommendations has been made since they were released.” said study author Toben Nelson.

The study is published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.