Targeting party hosts off campus.

• Position: College Drinking

On any given weekend, at least 10%o of students at a single college could be hosting a party and, on average, party hosts who live off campus are drinking more and engaging in more alcohol-related problem behaviors than are the students attending their bashes, suggests research published in Addictive Behaviors. In contrast, hosts of parties held on campus tend to drink less than do the students attending their gatherings, according to the study.

The research also indicates that college party hosts are more likely than the students attending parties to be male, living off campus, members of a Greek organization, in their second year or higher of college, and have more money to spend each month than other students.

The findings could guide efforts by university personnel to curb excessive drinking at college parties. "Party hosts set the context for the attendees. They decide what kind of drinks are going to be there and how many people are going to attend," indicates Cynthia Buettner, lead author of the study. "So, if you could get people to think about hosting a party in a particular way, you could reduce the risks for the people who attend."

The finding that hosts of on-campus parties drink less than their guests probably is associated with the risks of getting in trouble with the university. "It's...