Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate college freshmen's views towards potential social networking site (SNS) screening or intervention efforts regarding alcohol. Participants: Freshmen college students between February 2010 and May 2011. Methods: Participants were interviewed; all interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis was conducted using an iterative approach. Results: A total of 132 participants completed the interview (70% response rate), the average age was 18.4 years (SD 0.49), and 64 were males (48.5%). Three themes emerged from our data. First, most participants stated they viewed displayed alcohol content as indicative of alcohol use. Second, they explained they would prefer to be approached in a direct manner by someone they knew. Third, the style of approach was considered critical. Conclusions: When approaching college students regarding alcohol messages on SNSs, both the relationship and the approach are key factors.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 388-394 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of American College Health |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2012 |
Funding
The work described was supported by award K12HD055894 from NICHD and by award R03 AA019572 from NIAAA.
Keywords
- alcohol
- counseling
- health education
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
