A Matter of Degree
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The A Matter of Degree program is designed to reduce alcohol consumption on college campuses and in their surrounding communities in the United States. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initially funded ten university/college community coalitions, each of which received approximately $1,000,000 to implement the program. The program is administered by the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse that the foundation funded at the American Medical Association.
The program intervention focuses on developing and manipulating alcohol-related policy, programs, marketing practices and media advocacy, each of which has been hypothesized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to affect drinking behaviors.
| “ | Rather than blame students for their behavior or try to persuade them to stop drinking, participants in A Matter of Degree are identifying the environmental factors such as alcohol advertising and marketing, institutional policies and practices, local ordinances—even social and cultural beliefs and behaviors—that converge to encourage alcohol abuse, and work together to create positive changes. | ” |
The ten campus/community coalitions are:
- Florida State University/City of Tallahassee, Florida
- Georgia Institute of Technology/City of Atlanta, Georgia
- Lehigh University/City of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Louisiana State University/City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- University of Colorado/City of Boulder, Colorado
- University of Delaware/City of Newark, Delaware
- University of Iowa/City of Iowa City, Iowa
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln/City of Lincoln, Nebraska
- University of Vermont/City of Burlington, Vermont
- University of Wisconsin-Madison/City of Madison, Wisconsin
The program represents a major effort to reduce alcohol abuse among college students. However, follow-up studies have questioned the effectiveness of the program:
| “ | "No change" was found in any of the 28 measures of alcohol use or alcohol-related negative consequences. In short, the widely publicized "A Matter of Degree" program is a disappointing and costly flop.[1] | ” |
[edit] References
- ^ "A Matter of Degree" Program to Prevent Alcohol Abuse is Ineffective. David J. Hanson, State University of New York
