Assessing Drinking and Academic Performance Among a Nationally Representative Sample of College Students

• Published date: 01 October 2016
• DOI: 10.1177/0022042616659757
• Date: 01 October 2016
• Subject Matter: Articles

Journal of Drug Issues

2016, Vol. 46(4) 347 –353

© The Author(s) 2016

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DOI: 10.1177/0022042616659757

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Article

Assessing Drinking and Academic

Performance Among a Nationally

Representative Sample of College

Students

Anna K. Piazza-Gardner1, Adam E. Barry2,

and Ashley L. Merianos3

Abstract

This investigation assessed whether alcohol consumption was negatively related to grade point

average (GPA) among a nationally representative sample of college students. Items from the

American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (N = 22,424)

were investigated. One-way ANOVAs and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results

revealed that respondents with lower GPAs consumed a greater number of drinks compared

with those with higher GPAs. Students with higher GPAs engaged in heavy episodic drinking

less than students with lower GPAs. Number of drinks consumed was the strongest predictor

of academic performance; the likelihood of being an A student decreased with each drink

consumed. Similarly, binge drinking was the strongest predictor; the likelihood of being an

A student decreased as binge drinking increased. The dynamic, interdependent relationship

between alcohol and GPA documented herein confirms previous research, which delineates

reduced academic performance as a function of alcohol consumption.

Keywords

alcohol use, college students, academic performance, GPA

Introduction

College student alcohol use continues to represent a major public health concern, with students

maintaining high levels of current use and heavy episodic drinking (i.e., males having five or

more drinks in a row and females having four or more drinks in a row during one occasion;

Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg, & Miech, 2015). Approximately 60% to 65% of

college students used alcohol in the past 30 days (American College Health Association [ACHA],

2013; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2015), and 35% to 40%

reported heavy episodic drinking (Johnston et al., 2015; NIAAA, 2015). The deleterious health

1University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

2Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

3University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Corresponding Author:

Adam E. Barry, Department of Health & Kinesiology, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M

University, Blocker Building Office 314C, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

Email: aebarry@tamu.edu

659757JODXXX10.1177/0022042616659757Journal of Drug IssuesPiazza-Gardner et al.

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