Impaired Driving Behaviors Among College Students: A Comparison of Web-Based Daily Assessment and Retrospective Timeline Followback

• NCJ Number: 206946
• Journal: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 48 Issue: 1 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 34-50
• Author(s): Stuart L. Usdan; Joseph E. Schumacher; Jay M. Bernhardt
• Date Published: June 2004
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This study compared impaired driving behaviors among college students through Web-based data analysis and retrospective timeline follow back.

Abstract

Alcohol consumption among college students is a primary concern of health officials. Heavy consumption of alcohol is common among undergraduate students with an estimated 48.6 percent of men and 40.9 percent of women classified as binge drinkers according to the 2001 Harvard College Alcohol Study. One of the many negative behaviors associated with heavy alcohol consumption is impaired driving, which can result in criminal penalties, injuries, and death. This study used two approaches for assessing impaired driving. The first assessment approach used the Impaired Driving Assessment (IDA), which is a semi-structured interview designed to collect detailed information on the frequency and nature of impaired driving. The other approach is the Impaired Driving Electronic Assessment (IDEA), a Web-based daily diary. Undergraduate students were recruited for this study from a university in the Southwestern United States. Students who reported two or more drinking and driving episodes during the past month were invited to participate. A total of 20 students participated. This study used a cohort design with participants completing the Web-based IDEA each day for 35 days and then completing the retrospective IDA interview at the completion of the 35 days. The study found that despite yielding lower levels of impaired driving behaviors, the IDA was found to have a high level correlation with the Web-based daily measure of alcohol use and impaired driving behaviors, IDEA. The research suggests that although the IDA is suitable for obtaining detailed information on alcohol use and impaired driving, this instrument might underestimate incidence of specific episodes of this behavior. Future studies of the IDEA should utilize a larger sample representing a more diverse group of individuals. Tables, references