Relationship between Binge Drinking and Diet Quality Scores Among College Students

OBJECTIVES: Despite the negative impact on health, safety, and academics, research shows college students have high rates of binge drinking. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between binge drinking and diet quality among college students at a large university. METHODS: Data were collected between 2012–2021from the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey (CHANAS), an ongoing, cross-sectional study, at a northeastern university. After excluding participants with missing data, the final sample (n = 4,519) was 66.5% female and 33.5% male. Via online survey, participants self-reported their drinking occasions during the past 30 days; binge drinking was defined as ≥ 5 drinks for men and ≥ 4 drinks for women per occasion. Binge drinking was further categorized into 3 groups: non-binge drinkers, moderate binge drinkers (1–5 times/30 days), and heavy binge drinkers (5–30 times/30 days). Diet quality was assessed using a modified Healthy Eating Index (HEI); scoring was based upon HEI-2005, -2010, and -2015. Differences in HEI scores according to binge drinking participation were evaluated using ANCOVA; gender, age, total perceived stress scores, and BMI served as covariates. RESULTS: More than half (n = 2,624; 58.1%) of participants reported binge drinking within the past 30 days; 19.5% of participants reported binge drinking 6 or more times within the past 30 days. The mean modified HEI score was 64.8 ± .2. Heavy binge drinkers had the lowest HEI scores when compared to moderate and non-binge drinkers (63.8 ± .4 vs. 64.8 ± .3 and 65.5 ± .3, p = 0.05, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings show high rates of binge drinking. While many college students will benefit from reducing binge drinking habits data also suggests a modest relationship with dietary quality. This work adds to the evidence in the college population of the benefits of reducing alcohol intake. FUNDING SOURCES: New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1,010,738.