Iowa is one of the states with the highest rates of binge drinking among college students, according to a recently published report.

The report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 22, found the amount of alcohol students consume is linked to the geographic location of the school they attend.

Sara Kellogg, program coordinator for substance abuse and violence prevention at Iowa State, said Iowa State has an incidence of binge drinking lower than the national average. Forty-four percent of college students nationwide engage in binge drinking one or more times a month, compared to 41 percent at Iowa State, she said. Binge drinking, also called high-risk drinking, is defined as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting.

Most information on underage drinking comes from surveys done on specific campuses, not statewide, Kellogg said. The lack of statewide information could account for the difference between Iowa State’s rate of binge drinking and the rate of binge drinking among Iowa college students, she said.

“I know that the University of Iowa has a significantly higher binge drinking or high-risk drinking rate than Iowa State University,” Kellogg said.

The report, published in the March 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, analyzed data from two national surveys to compare binge drinking rates among college students with binge drinking rates among residents of 40 states. According to the report, there is a strong correlation between the binge drinking rates among college students and the general population of any given state. The study also found there may be a positive correlation between stringent alcohol laws and enforcement policies and lower rates of binge drinking.

According to the study, states with the highest rates of binge drinking are Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin. The lowest rates of collegiate binge drinking were found in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah.

Marty Martinez, staff psychologist at the student counseling center, said the causes of binge drinking include social pressure, a lack of planning of alcohol consumption and a loss of inhibitions caused by alcohol and emotional stress. Physical addiction can also play a role, he said.

“There’s also a social addiction,” Martinez said. “Some people crave the social attention, the social acceptance and they feel that drinking is a big part of keeping up with others.”

He said binge drinking is as much of a problem in the Midwest as it is in other parts of the country. Midwestern students are generally more morally opposed to binge drinking, Martinez said.

“That’s balanced by the fact that maybe in Iowa State and Ames that there’s not many activities to do besides the bar scene,” he said.

Several programs are offered by the Student Counseling Service and the Thielen Student Health Center to combat binge drinking, Martinez said.

“Alcohol-related concerns in general are associated with many of the crimes and incidents ISU Police respond to,” said ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger. “Some of those are related to binge drinking.”

He said although it’s difficult to measure the effectiveness of measures meant to combat binge drinking, ISU Police offer a range of community outreach and education programs on underage and binge drinking.

“We have seen a small related decrease in other crimes that are usually alcohol-related,” Deisinger said.