More students at UNM are taking risks by binge drinking, but more disapprove of drinking and driving, according to a COSAP survey.
The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention reported the results of its 2008 Student Lifestyles Survey last month.
John Steiner, COSAP health educator, said results of past surveys were not published, but statistics this year show that 90 percent of the 835 students surveyed either disapproved or strongly disapproved of drinking and driving, which is up from past data.
However, Steiner said binge drinking among UNM students is up 5 percent, from 38 percent last year to 43 percent this year.
"That's more than we're comfortable with, and we intend to make it a priority for the future, but not having the resources is tough to work with," he said. "It's still very much in line with the national drinking statistics."
COSAP has issued the lifestyles survey each year since 1992, when the organization was established at UNM, Steiner said.
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While the University supports COSAP in helping students, the program still remains underfunded, he said.
"What we do here is very connected to the University mission of student success," he said. "Getting students to graduate - have a good time and graduate, too - is really what we are about here."
Steiner said three COSAP employees spend much of their time trying to get funding for their causes, and he would like to see an additional position created in COSAP to help alleviate the workload of the current employees.
He said more collaboration between departments on campus would also help the office achieve its goals by encouraging students to live healthy and safe lifestyles.
This year, for the first time, six other higher education institutions across the state joined UNM in administering the survey, Steiner said. More than 3,000 New Mexico undergraduates participated in the survey.
COSAP will publish the statewide survey results on its Web site, Unm.edu/~cosap, in the coming month, Steiner said.
Jill Anne Yeagley, program manager of COSAP, said having schools statewide use the same survey allowed researchers to get the most accurate data on undergraduate behavior.
"Hopefully, we will be able to use that information to talk with the folks at the various schools, the powers that be and with legislators, to really make sure that (they) know about the fact that there is prevention that does work," she said. "And there are some issues that need to be addressed and we really need to get those facts on people's radar screens."
Graduate student Bryce Wagg said media coverage might be behind the decreased number of students who disapprove of drinking and driving.
"The media's portrayal of how drunk driving works is probably a huge contributor of how that works, but also the disapproval in the general media," he said.
The study showed 33 percent of students disapproved or strongly disapproved of buying alcohol for minors, 34 percent of students had used tobacco at least once during the past month, and 71 percent used alcohol.
Twenty-six percent said they had used marijuana in the past month, and more than 7 percent of the students reported abusing prescription drugs.
Steiner said previous surveys have helped COSAP get an idea of problematic areas in the lifestyles of students at the University.
"Our college students in New Mexico are the future leaders and future work force of New Mexico, so we believe very strongly that this is a population that we should be working very strenuously with to prevent alcohol and other drugs from derailing their plans," he said.
