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IUPUI survey: Binge drinking among young adults in 10 Indiana counties increases

A new survey analyzed by researchers at IUPUI shows binge drinking among young adults ages 18 to 25 in 10 Indiana counties increased after they turned 21, rather than tapering off, as had been the case in the past.

The findings mirror national statistics showing that increased binge drinking among young adults now extends beyond the peak that was associated with the legal drinking age.

The Indiana Partnerships for Success Young Adult Survey was administered to more than 1,100 young adults in Cass, Clark, Floyd, Knox, Lake, Madison, Marion, Porter, Scott and Vanderburgh counties. Those counties were surveyed because the state has identified them as having a high prevalence or high risk of either underage drinking or prescription drug misuse among young adults.

The Center for Community Health Engagement and Equity Research at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI developed the questions for the survey and analyzed the responses.

Marion S. Greene, a visiting research assistant professor with the Fairbanks School of Public Health, said it had been the case that binge drinking increased among young adults until the ages of 21 or 22 and then slowly decreased, a development called “aging out.”

After adjusting for other factors, 18-to-21-year-olds enrolled in college were 77 percent more likely to binge drink than those not enrolled.

“What we found in the survey is that binge drinking for those 22 to 25 years old continued on, rather than tapering off,” she said. “It’s taking longer for people to mature, to really change their behaviors.”

Changing social norms, including more young adults attending college and people delaying the age at which they marry and start families, may be contributing to that shift, Greene said. Young people often delay marriage until they feel financially stable, and research shows that increasing college debt and inconsistent income are related to delays in marriage.

Researchers believe one prevention strategy that could help is teaching people life skills needed to cope with life’s stressors in healthy ways before they become young adults.

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