Kara Holloway
School of Psychology
An institutional approach to managing student alcohol
consumption in a UK university
Background: The UK Government considers high risk drinking as a social and health
priority. Higher education students are at increased risk; the associated harms for
students include death, sexual assault and negative academic performance. Aims:
Using an action research approach, the research aims to reduce student alcohol
consumption at Keele University while at the same time recording and sharing best
practice so that other institutions can benefit from this experience. Method: A student
alcohol survey will be distributed 5 times to all students at Keele University. This will
enable the collection of baseline data and be able to evaluate the effectiveness of
the interventions in subsequent waves. Several intervention strategies will be
implemented, decided after consultation with key stakeholders, a literature review
and results from the surveys. Interventions may include: motivational enhancement,
challenging alcohol expectancies, addressing retail outlet density and opening times,
increasing the price of alcoholic beverages and responsible service training.
Discussions amon