Feasibility of collecting biological samples from college students exiting bars

Project Description:
Rationale: In campus communities, bar-sponsored “drink specials” and underage drinking in these establishments are almost ubiquitous. Yet, there exists virtually no research to inform the on-going public debate about the regulation of the serving practices of on-premise alcohol establishments, e.g., the Florida Legislature considers bills to regulate drink specials every year. In addition, previous research has not examined the possibility that bars represent environmental pathogens operating to facilitate the alcohol consumption of genetically vulnerable patrons. Objectives: This is a genetic-epidemiologic study of nighttime drinking in college bars.

Methods: On four nights during July and August 2007, data were collected from 477 patrons exiting drinking establishments in a campus bar district of Gainesville. On the sidewalk, patrons completed an anonymous, 15-minute, face-to-face interview and survey about selected behaviors they engaged in that night (a large majority were UF students). An oral fluid (saliva) sample was collected via the Oragene™ DNA Self-Collection Kit (DNA Genotek, Inc.) to examine known genetic variants associated with increased risk for excessive drinking. A second oral fluid sample was collected using the Quantisal™ collection device (Immunanalysis Corp.) to detect recent drug use (these data are not a focus of this request). Finally, the patrons’ breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) were obtained using the Alco-Sensor IV device (Intoximeters, Inc.).

Results: Among patrons sampled, 65% were men, 77% were white, 91% were college students, and 76% were 21 years of age or older (based on self-report). The mean BrAC was .09 (range: .00 – .26), with 58% above the presumptive legal limit to drive (.08% alcohol). Among those over the legal limit to drive, 25% acknowledged they were under 21 years of age, 21% planned on driving within the hour, 20% reported unwanted sexual touching in the bar, and 15% reported using drugs other than alcohol or tobacco that night. Forthcoming laboratory analyses will allow us to examine the direct and indirect associations genetic risk factors have with exiting intoxication levels and other drinking behaviors of the exiting patrons.

Conclusions: This unique investigation is among very few studies that have collected biological samples in a naturalistic setting to assess the epidemiology of barroom drinking. The study addresses a longstanding limitation found among college alcohol studies, i.e., the sole reliance on retrospective self-report data collected in classroom settings. This study has the potential to provide new insights into gene-environment interactions – a thrust of NIH initiatives promoting translational research. An NIH R-01 grant application is being developed to study the epidemiology of barroom drinking in a large sample of campus communities.

Principal Investigator:
Dennis Thombs, Ph.D., FAAHB
Associate Professor, Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida

Co-investigators:
Virginia Dodd, Ph.D., MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida
Steven Pokorny, Ph.D., MA
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida
Robert Weiler, Ph.D., MPH
Professor, Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida
Chudley Werch, Ph.D., MS
Professor & Director, Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute, Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida
Wei Hou, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor & Director, Research and Biostatistics Consulting Lab, Division of Biostatistics, Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida
Alex Wagenaar, Ph.D., MSW
Professor, Division of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida
Hui-Jia Dong, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor & Technical Director of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida
Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D., DABFT
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida
Michelle Merves, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida

Graduate research assistants:
Ryan O’Mara
Diana Lacaci
Tony Delisle

Undergraduate research assistants:
Fu-Jan Huang
Nikki Farides
Kevin Clark
Samantha Meli
Nicole Fukes
Kristin AmRhein
Petey Bingham
Meg Harris
Samantha Carino
Matt Friedman
Devon Grimme
Sara Gullet
Sofia Urra
Julie Willcutts
Diana Chu
Jared Mannen
Cynthia Laney
Sebastian Estades
Altina Fenelon
Jillian Sweet
Henry Lewis
Kathryn Bello
Samantha Nunez