Health Problems Regarding Student Alcohol Consumption in USF

Date: October 20, 2019
From: Henil Desai
To: R.J. Lambert
Subject: Health Problems Regarding Student Alcohol Consumption in USF
Background of Problem
Student alcohol consumption in college is a topic that dates to the beginning of when a
college starts up. At USF alcohol consumption is something that is very frequent and
happens regardless of whether you are consuming at a legal age or not. One thing that is for
certain is the health risks some students put themselves under as a result of consuming
alcohol in college.
Description of Problem
The effects of student alcohol consumption is actually a lot more detrimental to the health
than many people realize and the consequences become real for a lot of students
According to the National institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2017 survey, 53.6% of
full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month; 34.8% binge
drinking (5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion
for women); and 9.7% engaged in heavy alcohol use (binge drinking on 5 or more days in the
past month). And all this really comes to alarm you when it was said that drinking by college
students ages 18 to 24 contributes to an estimated 1,519 student deaths each year.
Additionally, A personal survey was carried out by me around USF and a good number of
students said that they would not go to a hospital even if they knew that it would be best if
they did because they are underage or because it may be expensive.
Causes of Problem
Based on information provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
and the survey I took , there are primary and secondary causes for concern regarding health
problems related to student alcohol consumption. The primary cause is students not
wanting to go to the hospitals to get checked because they fear that they will get in trouble
for being underage and therefore are willing to take a risk with their health and just go
home or stay home instead. Secondary cause is that students don’t want to get checked up
in the hospital or stay in hospital because it is too expensive, and they can’t afford it.
Affected Populations
Based on a survey I took this week regarding alcohol consumption and health. I asked 20
students of different ages, backgrounds and genders five questions:
1. How old are you?
2. Do you consume alcohol?
3. Have you ever been intoxicated with alcohol?
4. Would you ever go to a hospital if you were too drunk or just stay at home?
5. Are you fully aware of what alcohol consumption does to your health?
Below are graphs with some of the results from the survey.

References/Works Cited

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/time-for-parentsdiscuss-risks-college-drinking
YES
40% NO
60%
Are you fully aware of what alcohol
consumption does to your health?
YES
NO