Alcohol Abuse Among College Students - Case Study Example

Social Marketing Scoping Report Name Institution Executive Summary Abusive college drinking tends to generate enormous toll on the intellectual and social lives of the students in pursuit of their educational goals and targets. In the modern context, drinking among the college continues to become a ritual, which students see as an integral part of the high-education experience. The social issue is a global problem, which affects individuals in various nations across the globe, Alcohol abuse among college students tends to have various consequences or implications. Some of the global factors, which associate with alcohol abuse in the learning institution, include generic factors, environmental elements, emotion and psychological instability, sexual identity, cognitive factor, peer influence, family history, and achievement. It is critical to note that students have the tendency of passing through the phase of vulnerability (socially, emotionally, and intellectually) in the new environment under the influence of peer pressure and aggressive promotion of alcoholic beverages. The barriers to adopting desired behaviours can be peers influence, lack of self-control, have plenty time for entertainment, leave away from parents, indifferent attitude towards alcohol, and lack of awareness of the serious results. From the evaluation of the previous alternatives or options, the success in the minimization of the process involves a mix of prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies with the objective of targeting individual students, student body as a whole, and the broader college community. In the course of this project, the report focused on the adoption and integration of the Health Belief Model. According to the model, modifying variables, cues to action, and self-efficacy affect our perception of susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers, thus the eventual implications on behaviour. The aspect of recovery means working towards health, as well as wellness through living the conscious life and the efforts by the target audiences to reach their full potential. There is need for the integration of enormous commitment and motivation, thus the need to adopt and implement appropriate strategic goals and social objectives, as well as recommendations in the achievement of the desired health behaviour. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 4 Social/Health Issue: Alcohol abuse among college students 5 Environmental Analysis 6 Competition Analysis 8 Target audience analysis 10 Behavioural drivers: barriers and benefits 11 Potential Barriers 11 Benefits 12 Theoretical underpinnings for behavioural change 13 Figure 1: Health Belief Model Constructs Chart 13 Figure 2: Application of the Model 14 Social change objectives and recommendations 15 References 17 Social/Health Issue: Alcohol abuse among college students College students have the tendency of abusing various prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, and illegal drugs inclusive of alcohol and the medical marijuana. The concept of substance abuse among the young adults is hardly new. Nevertheless, behaviour experts believe that the progression concerning alcohol abuse contribute to significant public health issues. Abusive college drinking tends to generate enormous toll on the intellectual and social lives of the students in pursuit of their educational goals and targets. In the modern context, drinking among the college continues to become a ritual, which students see as an integral part of the high-education experience. It is critical to note that most of the students come to college institutions with the established drinking habits (Bardsley & Beckham, 1998). College environment plays a critical role in exacerbating the problem or issue of alcohol abuse among such students. The social issue is a global problem, which affects individuals in various nations across the globe, Alcohol abuse among college students tends to have various consequences or implications (Karam, Kypri, & Salamoun, 2007). One of the essential implications of the social issue is the death. For instance, in the case of the United States, alcohol abuse among college students contributes to close to 2,000 deaths from alcohol-related unintentional injuries such as motor vehicle crashes. In addition, alcohol abuse contributes to injuries, assaults, and sexual abuses, thus making it a critical social issue to undergo critical assessment for the development and implementation of appropriate behaviour interventions. In the case of Australia, young people aged 18-24 years have the riskiest drinking patterns with almost two-thirds drinking at a risky or high-risk level for harm in relation to the short-term context. According to the health care practitioners and experts, alcohol abuse is one of the major contributors to the cause of violence in the case of Australia. In the recent years, there has been a critical increase in the number of young women aged 18-24 being admitted to the healthcare facilities because of the influence of alcohol consumption (Sutfin et al., 2013). From this perspective, it is essential to note that alcohol health contributes to alcohol-attributable deaths for the college students from the road injuries, suicide, and subsequent assault under the influence of the substance abuse. According to the studies from various parts of the world, college students have a higher prevalence of alcohol drinking, as well as alcohol-use disorders in comparison to non-college youths (Ogden, 2012). This relates to the well-established developmental phase such students experience when away from home, families, and longstanding friendships. It is critical to note that students have the tendency of passing through the phase of vulnerability (socially, emotionally, and intellectually) in the new environment under the influence of peer pressure and aggressive promotion of alcoholic beverages (Kenney et al., 2012). Some of the global factors, which associate with alcohol abuse in the learning institution, include generic factors, environmental elements, emotion and psychological instability, sexual identity, cognitive factor, peer influence, family history, and achievement (Sayegh & Knight, 2013). Environmental Analysis In this context, it is critical to focus on the utilisation of the PEST analysis in the process of identifying and illustrating valuable environmental drivers, which aid the maintenance of the bad behaviour. From a political perspective, manufacturers within the liquor industry have the tendency of facing challenges through increased excise tax by relevant authorities and regulators at the federal and state levels. Some of these regulations have the affect production, distribution, advertising, and labelling, thus the eventual implications in the consumption or sales of the products in the market and industry of operation. Similarly, alcohol regulations in most nations permit consumption of the product for individuals aged 18 years and above. This provides the platform for the college students to engage in the alcohol abuse because of the friendly policies and regulations in accordance to their age. Similarly, the political entities provide platform for the maximization of the revenues and profits by the business entities within this industry (Velasquez et al., 2012). The output of the platform is evident in the eventual increase in the intensity of advertisement to enhance the awareness of the consumers about products and services at their disposal in the market and industry. From a social perspective, the bad behaviour (alcohol abuse among college students) relates to the massive influence of peer pressure. It is critical to note that college students are usually vulnerable from the intellectual, emotional, and psychological factors, thus the perfect platform for them to engage in the consumption of the alcohol products (Witkiewitz et al., 2012). In addition, the college environment and experience for the students generate the perfect opportunity for the students to explore various factors with reference to engaging in alcohol consumption. Similarly, students perceive alcohol consumption as an integral part of the learning experience, thus the continuous and increased engagement in alcohol consumption by the college students (Moreno et al., 2012). College students also suffer from the social issues or factors such as cultural or family experiences and history. Similarly, there seems to be enormous cross-cultural variation in the way individuals engage in drinking or consumption of alcohol. These social issues have been essential in understanding the aspects of alcohol abuse among the college students in the case of Australia, as well as the global context. From an economic perspective, increased intensity in advertising and marketing of alcohol products has been essential in the massive increase in the consumption of alcohol among the college students. In addition, producers and manufacturers have the perfect platform to exploit intense marketing among the target audiences with reference to college students (Wolfson et al., 2012; Braun et al., 2012; Martens et al., 2011). This is critical in the course of aiding profitability and revenues of the business entities. On the other hand, college students tend to have substantive financial and economic positions from the loans by government entities, as well as financial assistance from their parents. Such students have the tendency of utilising the resources to engage in the consumption of alcohol. From the technological perspective, greater exposure to alcohol advertising has been essential in contributing to the increased alcohol abuse among the college students, thus exposing them to greater risks of alcoholism or addiction. Alcohol advertising and marketing generate greater implications on the attitudes and expectations of the college students, thus the influence of technology in creating or developing an environment, which promotes underage drinking. Students have the opportunity to encounter such advertisements on the internet platforms through smartphones or utilisation of the television and radio sets to experience the image by the advertisers (Pope et al., 2014). Competition Analysis National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has focused on the minimization of the problem of alcoholism among the college students. In addition, there have been vital entities such as WHO (World Health Organization) and other relevant NGOs, which have been critical in the provision of the perfect approaches towards minimization of the issue of alcoholism among the college students in the case of Australia and the global context. These entities have focused on the execution of ongoing research with the intention of improving the understanding of how to address the persistent, as well as costly social issue. From the evaluation of the previous alternatives or options, the success in the minimization of the process involves a mix of prevention, intervention, and treatment strategies with the objective of targeting individual students, student body as a whole, and the broader college community. In the first instance, such entities have focuses on implementation of strategies, which target individual students inclusive of those at risk for alcohol problems (Zullig & Divin, 2012). The approach has been effective through integration of alcohol screening and brief intervention programs, thus the opportunity to gain feedback on risks of drinking, implications of these risks in meeting their goals, monitoring and reducing drinking, and the handling of high-risk situations. On the other hand, there have been strategies targeting the campus, as well as the surrounding communities in aid of eliminating or reducing the implications of the problem among the target audiences (Wilson & Deane, 2012). These strategies prove to be comprehensive because of the need and attempt to incorporate alcohol education, limit availability of the product, enforcement of underage drinking regulations, and provision of alcohol-free campus activities. In addition, the approaches have focused on notifying parents concerning the alcohol-related infractions, as well as adjustments of the schedules to reduce the leisure time for the students to consider engaging in the consumption of the alcohol products (Neighbours et al., 2011). Educational practitioners have also focused on the adoption and implementation of various approaches aiming at minimization of the availability, as well as consumption of the products. Integration of this behavioural change program or intervention will be essential in the minimisation of the existing gaps in the identified competitors (Snipes & Benotsch, 2013). In addition, the approach or invention will aid realization of effectiveness and efficiency in the achievement of the goals and targets relating to reduced consumption of alcohol among the college students in the global context. Target audience analysis The behavioural intervention will focus on the college students suffering from the social issue of alcoholism. From this perspective, the ideal target audience for this intervention will have the following characteristics: i. Affected by alcoholism ii. Likely and willing to change their behaviour iii. Have behaviours, which are easy to change iv. One that is easily accessible and of great interest to the intervention or program In the course of segmenting the target audience, it is critical to focus on the utilisation of the behaviour. For instance, the program will focus on the utilisation of the following criteria in pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency in the segmentation of the target audiences in accordance with the social issue concerning alcoholism among the college students: i. Those who do the desired behaviour, but somewhat inconsistently ii. Those who do the desired behaviour consistently iii. Those who never do the desired behaviour iv. Those who rarely or occasionally do the desired behaviour It is critical to note that the approach will be ideal in the assessment of the influence, as well as implication of the program in addressing the demands and expectations of the target audiences. Behavioural drivers: barriers and benefits The purpose of this section of the report is to develop or construct effective insight to what drives behaviour towards the achievement or realisation of the desired behaviour. In addition, the report will concentrate on the evaluation of the barriers and benefits towards the achievement of the goals and targets at the end of the program. Potential Barriers One of the potential barriers towards adoption of the desired behaviours is peer influence. In most cases, college students have the tendency of developing the sense of belonging, thus the engagement in alcohol consumption with the intention of becoming members of the groups by their friends or peers (Read et al., 2015). In addition, lack of self-control might be a potential barrier towards realisation of the desired behaviour with reference to minimisation of alcohol consumption among the college students. It is the obligation of an individual to exploit substantial self-control to make appropriate decisions on social issues and contexts. In this context, lack of social-control has been ideal in the provision of room for peer pressure or influence, thus the engagement in the alcohol consumption by the college students. Similarly, college students tend to have plenty of time for entertainment. In one week, college students might have 21 hours for the educational programs or courses, but the rest of the hours count as leisure time. This provides the opportunity for the students to consider entertaining ideas of alcohol consumption, which they consider as an integral part in relation to the college experience. It is also essential to note that college students live away from their parents in most cases, thus lack of parental guidance and supervision could hinder the achievement or adoption of the desired behaviours among the target audiences. Some of the college students tend to exploit this opportunity to experiment on the substance use, thus engagement in the alcohol consumption (Kittinger, Correia, & Irons, 2012). Moreover, indifferent attitude towards alcohol can hinder the adoption of desired behaviours among the college students seeking and willing to disengage from the consumption of alcohol. Another potential barrier towards adoption of the desired behaviours is the lack of awareness on the serious implications of the consumption of alcohol (Cronse et al., 2011). This associates with the increased accessibility to the advertisements and promotions, which rarely illustrate the negative implications of the substances. Benefits The adoption of the desired behaviours will have appropriate implications and benefits in relation to the living conditions. For instance, the desired behaviours will improve the quality of life. Quitting alcohol will offer an immediate improvement in the overall health of the college students while enabling the individuals at-risk to put their life back together in a systematic manner. In addition, the desired behaviour will enable the concerned parties to feel physically better, thus elimination of the perpetual cycle of hangovers enabling the body to start to heal the damage following years of the chronic alcoholism (Kaiser et al., 2012). It is critical to note that alcoholism is an expensive habit. From this perspective, alcoholism can have a devastating effective of the potential earnings of the concerned entities, thus the need for the college students to quit alcohol consumption to save money. The approach will enable the college students to quit drinking, thus the platform to focus on pursuing their educational goals and targets (Skala et al., 2012; Johnson, 2014; Glass & Flory, 2012). It is also critical to note that the desired behaviours will enable the target audiences to prolong their lives. According to the statistics, the average lifespan of a chronic alcoholic is 10-20 years shorter in comparison to a non-alcoholic. From this perspective, quitting alcohol will improve the quality of life, as well as making it enjoyable and longer. Theoretical underpinnings for behavioural change The purpose of this section of the report is to identify and apply a behavioural change model to the issue of alcoholism among the college students. In addition, the report will illustrate how the model or key variable of the model is relevant to the social issue. Similarly, the report will explain how the model is relevant to facilitate the behaviour change (Murphy & Garavan, 2012; Pettit & DeBarr, 2011). In the course of this project, it is critical to focus on the adoption and integration of the Health Belief Model. According to this model modifying variables, cues to action, and self-efficacy affect our perception of susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers, thus the eventual implications on behaviour. Figure 1: Health Belief Model Constructs Chart Perceived Susceptibility An individual’s assessment in relation to his or her chances of getting the disease or the social issue Perceived Benefits An individual’s conclusion as to whether the new or desired behaviour is better in comparison to the current condition or situation Perceived Barriers An individual’s perception as to what will hinder him or her in the course of adopting the new behaviour Perceived Seriousness An individual’s judgement as to the severity of the disease Modifying Variables Personal factors of an individual, which affect the adoption of the new behaviour Cues to action Factors, which will initiate engagement of an individual on the way to changing behaviour Self-efficacy Individual’s belief in one’s own ability to execute something towards the achievement of the desired behaviour According to this model, the likelihood of an individual engaging in specific health behaviour is a function of various beliefs. These include the extent to which he or she believes that she or he is susceptible to the particular illness, perception of the severity of the condition’s consequences, perceived barriers/costs of adopting health behaviour, and perceived benefits in relation to the health behaviour (Berkowitz, 2005). These cognitive factors are essential in the establishment of the beliefs in personal health threat and in the effectiveness of health behaviour. Similarly, the model suggests that certain cues to action have the potentiality of triggering health behaviour through illustration of suitable health beliefs. From this perspective, the behavioural intention is the mediating factor between the cognitive factors and action. Figure 2: Application of the Model Increased Perceived Susceptibility This is through increased description of the risk factors in relation to the transition to college, campus alcohol culture, influence of parental attitudes and behaviours towards consumption of alcohol Increased Perceived Benefits Illustration of the scholarly and anecdotal examples of the benefits with reference to improved communication between students and parents, as well as health practitioners or social workers in relation to alcohol consumption such as improved quality of live, saving financial resources, and prolonging life of the target audiences Decreased Perceived Barriers It is critical to demonstrate mechanisms and techniques, which are essential in overcoming potential barriers such as peer influence, lack of self-control, lack of awareness on the seriousness of the social issue, living away from parents, embarrassment to talk about alcohol use, more time for entertainment, and lack of confidence in having various alcohol-related conversations. In addition, the focus should be on communicating with the teens, as well as straight talk with the target audiences with the objective of improving their health conditions by taking the first step, which is readiness to change. Increased Perceived Severity This will relate to the description of the breadth of serious negative implications in relation to consumption of alcohol by the college students such as academic, social, physical, and psychological implications. There is also need to develop effective health brochures and case studies to illustrate the seriousness of the problem among the target audience. Modifying Variables Increased readiness of the target audience to quit alcohol consumption with reference to adoption of the desired behaviour Cues to Action Increased awareness on the benefits of the desired behaviour, as well as limitations or negative influences of alcoholism among the college students in the case of Australia and the global context Self-efficacy Increased confidence of the target audience in pursuit of the desired behaviour through enhanced awareness of the barriers, as well as platforms for overcoming the issues limiting the achievement of the target relating to health behaviour change From the above illustration, it is critical to note that college students are at great risk in relation to consumption of alcohol. Nevertheless, the target audiences are ready to adopt the desired behaviour because of the increased susceptibility and benefits of quitting alcoholism (Heydari, Dashtgard, & Moghadam, 2014). This makes it appropriate for the development and implementation of the social change objectives and recommendations in accordance with the next section of the report. Social change objectives and recommendations Recovery is more than just the action of stopping the drinking or consumption of alcohol in this context. The aspect of recovery means working towards health, as well as wellness through living the conscious life and the efforts by the target audiences to reach their full potential. This calls for integration of enormous commitment and motivation, thus the need to adopt and implement appropriate strategic goals and social objectives, as well as recommendations in the achievement of the desired health behaviour. The following social change objectives will relate to the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time sensitive) technique. The approach is essential in defining the goals effectively, as well as evaluation of the techniques or platform for success. 1. Alcoholic college students will focus on reduction of how often they drink to eliminate the irregular pattern of alcohol consumption 2. To reduce how much college students drink per drinking occasion through deciding not to engage in binge drinking while remaining within the low risk weekly guidelines for alcohol 3. Incorporation of alcohol education programs and courses within the existing curriculum for increased awareness in the benefits of the desired behaviour and negative influences of alcohol consumptions 4. To organize effective and efficient support group for the target audiences to aid their efforts in pursuit of the desired behaviour In the course of achieving these strategic goals and targets, it is vital to focus on the following recommendations. i. In the first instance, it is critical to focus on the development of support groups within the learning institutions to aid the efforts of the target audiences in pursuit of the desired behaviour ii. 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