%0 Journal Article
%T Influence of grade-level drinking norms on individual drinking behavior
%J American journal of health behavior
%D 2013
%A Yarnell, Lisa M.
%A Brown, H. Shelton
%A Pasch, Keryn E.
%A Perry, Cheryl L.
%A Komro, Kelli A.
%V 37
%N 1
%P 70-79
%X OBJECTIVE: To investigate which points of the middle-school drinking distribution are the most influential in the social contagion of drinking across the middle-school years, in order to identify potential social multipliers. METHODS: We measured drinking intentions and behaviors by gender, school, and grade among urban middle-school students who participated in Project Northland Chicago in a longitudinal cohort design. RESULTS: Individual drinking behaviors were consistently influenced by extreme (80(th) percentile) drinking intentions and behaviors. This effect was mediated through normal or average levels of drinking, over time. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions can target extreme drinkers as the influential persons in middle-school grades.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I PNG Publications
%@ 1087-3244
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.37.1.8