Spit for Science releases preliminary research findings

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

VCU’s Spit for Science research team presented preliminary data from the fall-semester data collection Tuesday afternoon.

Most data was self-characterized alcohol and substance use habits among VCU’s current freshman class from the survey part of the study, as the DNA component of the study is still currently being examined.

Students were asked to classify their alcohol use and about 72 percent of VCU freshman classified themselves as low-risk drinkers.

The other 28 percent were among the “moderate drinker,” “heavy drinker” and “problem drinker” categories, which could be considered high-risk, according to the Wellness Resource Center’s director Linda Hancock.

Twenty-eight percent of low-risk drinkers reported they had never tried alcohol while another 10 percent reported they abstain from drinking. There was also a small percentage (less than 1 percent) of students who reported they abstained from alcohol use while in recovery.

“The way that people characterize themselves is not necessarily what they do,” Hancock said of students’ self-identified alcohol habits. “It’s the way they want to be or the way they frame their reality.”

Students who identified themselves as abstainers in recovery reported that they drank an average of 3.6 days within the last month and consumed an average of four drinks per occasion.

Study coordinator and VCU professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics Danielle Dick said during the presentation of data that this could suggest some students were already experiencing challenges related to alcohol dependence.

The 2 percent of students who identified themselves as heavy drinkers reported drinking an average of 13.1 days in the month preceding the survey and reported consuming an average of 6.8 drinks during each occasion.

Students who called themselves problem drinkers drank an average of 18.6 days in a month, but reported only consuming an average of 4.8 drinks each time.

In addition to alcohol consumption, this semester’s data presentation began to examine potential alcohol dependence.

The 72 percent of students who reported they drink alcohol were asked if they experience any symptoms of alcohol dependency.

Fifty-one percent of the students reported no symptoms of alcohol dependency, and 36 percent reported one symptom of alcohol dependency. Thirteen percent of the students reported experiencing two or more symptoms of alcohol dependency.

More genetic information will be available after the spring semester, when the genotyping process is finished, but the survey portion of the study did collect data on parental behavior regarding alcohol use, drug use and depression and anxiety problems.

Dick said part of the purpose of the Spit for Science research is to serve the students by helping The Well and other resources around campus use the data to better serve students’ needs.

Right now, Hancock said she thinks the data can be used to educate students.

“I think once we get the genetics (component) mixed in with the environmental (component) … knowledge is power and genetics is not destiny,” Hancock said.

“I think the most important part of this project is to promote discussion,” she said.

In addition to DNA analysis of students’ spit samples (which has begun), the Spit for Science team has tentative plans to release a second, shortened survey before Spring Break. They are also looking into the possibility of pursuing smaller, spin-off studies for subsets of students.

[sws_grey_box box]For more information about Spit for Science, visit www.spit4science.vcu.edu or ‘like’ them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/spit4science. [/sws_grey_box]