Dataset Information

Risk Factors Associated with Driving After Marijuana Use among US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To assess the sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors associated with driving after marijuana use among US college students.

Methods

A secondary analysis used the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 American College Health Association- National College Health Assessment III and the dataset was restricted to college students ≥ 18 years of age who reported recent driving and marijuana use. Associations between risk factors and driving after marijuana use were estimated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

A total of 29.9% (n=4,947) of the respondents reported driving after marijuana use. Males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.48-1.82), non-Hispanic Black (AOR: 1.32, 95% CI:1.02-1.71), sexual minorities (AOR:1.19, 95% CI: 1.07-1.31), individuals with an alcohol or substance use disorder (AOR: 1.44, 95% CI:1.08-1.91), anxiety (AOR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.36), higher suicidality (AOR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.07-1.31), and those who also drank and drove (AOR: 3.18, 95% CI: 2.84-3.57) had a higher risk of driving after marijuana use.

Conclusions

Future research should focus on increasing awareness of driving after marijuana use and prevention programs and/or strategies on college campuses regarding driving after marijuana use for these groups to reduce this risky behavior.

SUBMITTER: Tang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9637518 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in pronounced changes for college students, including shifts in living situations and engagement in virtual environments. Although college drinking decreased at the onset of the pandemic, a nuanced understanding of pandemic-related changes in drinking contexts and the risks conferred by each context on alcohol use and related consequences have yet to be assessed.MethodsSecondary data analyses were conducted on screening data from a large parent clinical trial assessing a college student drinking intervention (N = 1669). Participants across six cohorts (from Spring 2020 to Summer 2021) reported on the frequency of drinking in each context (i.e., outside the home, home alone, home with others in-person, and home with others virtually), typical amount of drinking, and seven alcohol-related consequence subscales.ResultsDescriptive statistics and negative binomial regressions indicated that the proportion and frequency of drinking at home virtually with others decreased, while drinking outside the home increased from Spring 2020 to Summer 2021. Limited differences were observed in the proportion or frequency of individuals drinking at home alone or at home with others in-person. Negative binomial and logistic regressions indicated that the frequency of drinking outside the home was most consistently associated with more alcohol-related consequences (i.e., six of the seven subscales). However, drinking at home was not without risks; drinking home alone was associated with abuse/dependence, personal, social, hangover, and social media consequences; drinking home with others virtually was associated with abuse/dependence and social consequences; drinking home with others in-person was associated with drunk texting/dialing.ConclusionThe proportion and frequency of drinking in certain contexts changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, although drinking outside the home represented the highest risk drinking context across the pandemic. Future prevention and intervention efforts may benefit from considering approaches specific to different drinking contexts.