Citation

Hembroff L, Atkin CK, Martell D, McCue C, Greenamyer JT. J. Am. Coll. Health 2007; 56(3): 325-332.

Affiliation

Office of Survey Research, Michigan State University's (MSU), East Lansing, MI.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3200/JACH.56.3.325-336

PMID

18089516

Abstract

The B.R.A.D. Birthday Card initiative was started on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) in April 1999. MSU administrators send the safe-drinking 21st birthday card (B.R.A.D.) and laminated wallet card to students shortly before their 21st birthday. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the 21st birthday card, MSU and B.R.A.D., Inc, applied for and were awarded a 2-year US Department of Education grant in 2001. Participants: The authors surveyed 1,731 students within 2 weeks of their 21st birthday. Methods: Of all students turning 21 years old during the study, the authors randomly selected students for each group. A control group received no card. All others received the standard B.R.A.D. card or a gender-tailored message card. Results: Key findings include: 74% of students saved part of the card, 65% shared the card with family or friends, 22% reported thinking about the card during their celebration, 12% reported drinking less because of the card, 15% reported learning something new about alcohol poisoning, and 98% believed that MSU and B.R.A.D. should continue sending cards to students. Conclusions: Receiving, reading, and recalling the content of the B.R.A.D. card appears to reduce the total number of drinks a celebrant consumes.

Language: en