Pergamon

PII: s0261-5177(98)00052-1
Tourism Management, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 501-513, 1998
1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Printed in Great Britain
0261-5177/98 $19.00 + 0.00
An anal ysi s of the sexual , al cohol
and drug rel ated behavi oural
patterns of students on spri ng
break
Bharath M Josiam*
Department of Hospitality and Tourism, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI 54751-2500,
USA
J S Perry Hobson
School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
Uta C Dietrich
Northern Rivers Institute for Health and Research, New South Wales Department of Health, Lismore,
NSW, Australia
George Smeaton
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI 54751-2500, USA
Li t t l e i nf or mat i on is avai l abl e r egar di ng t he consensual sexual activity of young adul t s on
holiday. Bot h academi c and popul ar press coverage of sex and t ravel has t ended to focus on
commer ci al sex. Thi s st udy exami nes t he sexual activity, al cohol and dr ug use of US college
st udent s dur i ng ' Spr i ng Br eak' at a popul ar Fl or i da beach dest i nat i on. The resul t s suggest
t hat st udent s engaged in mor e sexual activity and had mor e new sexual par t ner s dur i ng t hei r
hol i day t han in t he previ ous mont h. St udent s were also found to engage in heavy al cohol
consumpt i on and some dr ug abuse, pl aci ng t hem at hi gher r i sk for cont r act i ng sexually
t r ans mi t t ed di seases (STDs). Those mot i vat ed to visit this dest i nat i on by its ' par t y r eput a-
t i on' consumed significantly mor e alcohol, compar ed to t hose with ot her mot i vat i ons. The
resul t s suggest i mpl i cat i ons f or heal t h educat i on, t our i sm mar ket i ng, and public policy
decisions. 1998 El sevi er Science Ltd. All ri ght s reserved.
Keywords: t our i s m, yout h t ravel , heal t h, spr i ng br eak, sexual l y t r ans mi t t ed di sease, al cohol abuse, dr ug abus e
I n t r o d u c t i o n
The Amer i can college ritual of ' Spring Br eak'
vacat i on travel can t race its root s to t he first Col l ege
Swim For um of 1938. It was hel d in For t Lauder -
dale, Fl ori da, and approxi mat el y 300 st udent s
compet ed. Since t hat first swim forum, spring br eak
has devel oped i nt o a uni quel y Nor t h Amer i can
t ouri sm phenomenon. This phenomenon has been
*Cor r e s pondi ng aut hor . Tel. : + 1-715-232-2532; Fax:
+ 1-715-232-2588; E- mai l : j os i a m@uws t out . e du
f ur t her i mmort al i sed by Hol l ywood in such films as
' Wher e t he Boys Are' , made in t he 1960s, and
' Spring Br eak' made in 1983, and annual newspaper
report s of st udent activities.
By t he mid-1980s, several US dest i nat i ons were
at t ract i ng significant number s of spring breakers. In
1988 for example, it was est i mat ed t hat duri ng t he
5-week long spring br eak season (which usually runs
from t he end of Febr uar y to earl y April) 400,000
college st udent s vacat i oned in t he Dayt ona Beach,
Florida, area; 250,000 st udent s in For t Lauder dal e,
Florida; anot her 250,000 on Sout h Padr e Island,
501
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiarn et al.
Texas; and a f ur t her 40,000 in Pal m Springs,
Cal i forni a. ' Since 1988, t he spri ng br eak mar ket
seems to have f r agment ed and a numbe r of
addi t i onal US and forei gn dest i nat i ons have sought
to at t ract this mar ket . However , spri ng br eak still
bri ngs t oget her college st udent s at several maj or US
beach dest i nat i ons. Hobs on and Josi am 2 have
previ ousl y identified t hese as Dayt ona Beach, For t
Wal t on Beach, Pensecol a, and Pa na ma City Beach
in Fl ori da, Sout h Padr e Isl and in Texas, Pal m
Springs in Cal i forni a, and Lake Havasu in Ari zona.
Ther e are a numbe r of ot her US dest i nat i ons, such
as St eamboat , Col or ado, and Key West , Fl ori da,
t hat also at t ract significant number s of st udent s.
Several forei gn dest i nat i ons, such as Cancun,
Mat zal an, and Acapul co, Mexico, have also been
at t ract i ng i ncreasi ng number s of Amer i can st udent s.
Car r i bean dest i nat i ons such as The Bahamas and
J amai ca have also pr oved to be popul ar.
Much of t he initial at t ract i on of spri ng br eak was
about get t i ng away f r om college and t he ' wi nt er-
bl ues' for a week. However , in mor e r ecent t i mes
spri ng br eak has be c ome known for mor e ext r eme
behavi our such as bi nge drinking, drug t aki ng and
sexual promi scui t y. In 1985, seven st udent revel l ers
di ed in For t Lauder dal e aft er over dosi ng on drugs
and alcohol. Fur t her mor e, riots occur r ed duri ng t he
spri ng br eak peri ods in Pal m Springs in 1986, and
Dayt ona Beach in 1989. As a result, t he rel at i onshi p
bet ween t he resi dent s at popul ar dest i nat i ons and
spri ng br eaker s has oft en been st rai ned. Over t he
years, several communi t i es have actively di scour aged
spri ng br eaker s and t hei r activities. Per haps t he best
known exampl e is t hat of For t Lauder dal e.
Fol l owi ng several years of uncont r ol l abl e crowds
and t he st udent deat hs in 1985, t he city of For t
Lauder dal e deci ded to literally ' cl ose down' spri ng
br eak in t he l at er par t of t he 1980s. In 1985, t he city
had recei ved a r ecor d of 350,000 spri ng br eaker s. By
1991, t hat had dr opped to less t han 30,000. 3
Despi t e such pr obl ems, t he spri ng br eak ri t ual has
cont i nued to gain popul ari t y, with st udent s f r om
across t he USA part i ci pat i ng For st udent s goi ng on
spri ng break, t her e is oft en a gr eat sense of ant i ci pa-
tion of t he vacat i on. The following quot at i ons have
been t aken f r om a spri ng br eak message cent r e on
t he Worl d Wi de Web (ht t p: / / www. spri ngbreak. com/
s bmenu2. map) to highlight t he activities st udent s
percei ve t hat t hey will be abl e to par t i ci pat e in while
t hey are away.
Listen up people it seems that Jacksonville and
Daytona Beach are having their beach parties at the
same time (April 12-13), but we all know how and
why we'll be there! In plain English to F***, drink,
and smoke.
Earl Kelley, Prai ri e Vi ew A&M Uni versi t y, TX.
All goin' down to Panama City Beach between March
8-17 beware!! We will drink all your beer!!! The
parties WILL be the best ever. The Ramada
Inn/Days Inn wi l l never be the same. And they
thought the hurricane made a mess. Where is
everyone stay'n?? Let me know. You'll probably want
to party with us. If your not in Panama, watch for us
on MTV.
J oe Battaglia, Cani si us Col l ege.
As of approximately 8am on Saturday March 2nd,
Penn State University will descend upon South
Padre! We' re looking for warm skies and warmer
women with little regard for morals. It' s - 3 0 degree
in State College, and our brains are fried! Look out
Texas, here comes the number one party school in
the nation!
Pat ri ck, Pennsyl vani a St at e Uni versi t y, PA.
As can be seen f r om t hese quot at i ons, and as is
of t en r epor t ed in t he medi a, spri ng br eak t our i sm
has acqui red a r eput at i on for excessive alcohol and
drug use, as well as offeri ng st udent s t he oppor -
t uni t y of mul t i pl e sexual encount er s wi t h new
par t ner s. The combi nat i on of such activities can be
pot ent i al l y danger ous to t he short - and l ong- t er m
heal t h of t hese individuals and t hei r sexual par t ner s.
The sexual health risks facing college students
St udent s are r egar ded at high risk f or cont r act i ng
sexually t r ansmi t t ed di seases (STDs). Ther e are an
est i mat ed 12 million new STD cases a year in t he
Uni t ed States, and hal f of t he popul at i on will have
acqui red at least one STD by t he age of 35? It is
bel i eved t hat 96% of all STDs occur bet ween t he
ages of 15 and 29." Of t hese, chl amydi a is t he most
c ommon bact eri al STD, 7 with f our million new cases
r epor t ed each year ? Chl amydi a has been f ound in
appr oxi mat el y 7% of f emal e college st udent s and
20% of mal e st udent s br ought i nt o clinics for
r out i ne screeni ng. X,"
In addi t i on, her pes si mpl ex t ype 2 (geni t al her pes)
and human papi l l oma virus (geni t al wart s) are
c ommon viral STDs. He r pe s affect s some 30 million
peopl e al one, including 8 to 10% of sexually active
college st udent s? Geni t al warts, a virus l i nked to
cervical cancer, may be carri ed by bet ween 30 to
75% of adul t Amer i cans. l Fur t her mor e, one st udy
est i mat ed t hat 20% of women who cont r act ed
geni t al wart s did so in t hei r first sexual encount er , l''
In compar i son to t he high rat es of ot her STDs,
human i mmunodef i ci ency di sease ( HI V) is r ar e
amongst st udent s. Onl y 0. 05% of t he st udent college
popul at i on is r epor t ed to be i nfect ed, l' Conse-
quently, t he per cei ved f ear amongst st udent s of
cont r act i ng AI DS has been f ound to be low. 12,13
However , t he pr esence of an STD i ncreases t he risk
of cont r act i ng HI V t hr ee- to fi ve-fol d? Whi l e t he
numbe r of r epor t ed AI DS cases amongst the
st udent popul at i on is low, st udent s who cont r act ed
t he di sease while at college woul d typically not show
t he sympt oms until aft er gr aduat i on? 4 Cur r ent US
Feder al dat a i ndi cat es t hat HI V is now t he l eadi ng
killer of Amer i cans aged 25- 44, ahead of cancer,
502
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns oJ students: B M Josiam et al.
hear t disease, homi ci de and suicide, l-~ It has also
spread ar ound t he worl d with al armi ng speed. Fr om
1990 to 1994 t he number of individuals i nfect ed with
t he acqui red i mmune deficiency syndr ome (AIDS)-
inducing HI V virus i ncreased f r om less t han 10
million to 22.4 million peopl e. '~ Mor eover , with a
deat h toll of 243,423 in t he US, t he disease became
t he l eadi ng cause of deat h of Amer i can men
bet ween t he ages of 25 and 44.15,17 This would also
i ndi cat e t hat many became i nfect ed in t hei r late
t eens and early twenties, l~
Tourism and sexual behaviour
One setting in which young peopl e coul d cont r act
HI V and ot her STDs is on holiday. Acts of unpr o-
t ect ed i nt ercourse with new par t ner s met while on
vacat i on have been document ed among tourists
having sex. A st udy of a gr oup of British tourists
f ound t hat 4% engaged in such behavi our while
vacat i oni ng in anot her Eur opean country. '~ Among
t hese individuals, t he i nci dence of unsafe sexual
activity was highest among t hose who consumed
significantly mor e alcohol while on vacat i on t han
t hey typically did at home. Accordi ng to Hawkes
and Har t , ' " ' studies are clearly needed to investigate
t he fact ors influencing t he sexual behavi our of
travellers. Studies in popul ar t ouri st dest i nat i ons
coul d l ook at t he social, economi c and ot her fact ors
influencing t he [sexual behavi our] of bot h t he
tourists and t he host popul at i ons. ' (p. 214).
Psycho-social theories pertaining to holiday behaviour
Several researchers have not ed that holidays r epr e-
sent settings in which i rresponsi bl e behavi our may
be deemed accept abl e. 2'' 22
Ei ser and For d 23 f ound t hat many r espondent s
expressed agr eement with t he st at ement s such as: ' l
am a di fferent per son on holiday. ' Such respondent s,
i nfl uenced by t he phenomena of situational disin-
hibition, wer e mor e likely to indulge in sexual
activity with new part ners in a hol i day setting.
Accordi ng to Ei ser and Ford, e~ ' Wi t hi n t he f r ame-
work of social learning t heory, such disinhibition
might reflect an i mper f ect general i zat i on to a new
envi r onment of norms and const rai nt s acqui red at
home. ' (p. 326).
In a st udy of New Zeal and st udent tourists, Ryan
and Rober t son 2~ f ound t hat t he disinhibitory effect
of holidays was particularly strong among cert ai n
segment s of t he st udent tourists. These segment s
were labelled as ' Vi brant Voyagers' and ' Experi en-
tial Socialisers' . St udent s in t hese segment s had a
gr eat er predi sposi t i on to engage in sex with new
part ners. They wer e also mor e likely to r epor t t hat
t hey dr ank much mor e t han normal . Bot h of t hese
segment s r epor t t hat t hey seek an active social life
based on ' har d part yi ng' and sexual encount ers.
An addi t i onal t heoret i cal basis f or t he
unr est r ai ned behavi our observed on Spring Break is
pr ovi ded by scripting t heory. This t heor y pr oposes
t hat social life is based on scripts. "--~ Scripts are sets
of implicit rules t hat det er mi ne how individuals
behave in social contexts. Accordi ng to Mewhi nneny
et al., 2" ' t he feel i ng of f r eedom f r om responsibilities
and home constraints, a sense of anonymity, and
drinking, all cont r i but e to t he scripts for behavi our
on Spring Br eak' (p. 284). For exampl e in t hei r
study, 65% of males and 66% of femal es agreed
with t he following st at ement : ' In compar i son to
while at school, st udent s on Spring Break are mor e
likely to have sex with someone t hey just met . '
Similarly, agr eement was also t he modal response
for t he st at ement : ' For a woman, having sex with
someone she does not know very well is mor e
accept abl e on Spring Br eak t han it is at school. '
In summary, it appears t hat this f or m of t ouri sm
present s st udent s with a setting in which t hey can
freel y indulge in activities t hat may be consi der ed
unaccept abl e in t hei r homes and college campuses.
In fact, Pear ce 27 has suggested t hat if no such differ-
ent i at i on was experi enced, it is difficult to see why
anyone woul d want to go on holiday at all.
Student tourism and the spread of STDs
Resear ch exami ni ng t he role of Eur opean tourists in
the spread of STDs and HI V suggests some
linkages. However, research on this phenomenon in
t he Uni t ed States is virtually non-existent. The
Cent er s for Di sease Cont rol and Pr event i on identi-
fied t he t en US cities with t he highest HI V preva-
lence (New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Houst on, Washi ngt on, Miami, Chicago, Newark,
Philadelphia, and Dallas). An unpubl i shed study
f ound t hat college st udent s who engaged in sexual
i nt ercourse with individuals who resi ded in one of
t hese ten cities wer e mor e likely to have had an
STD. 2~ The aut hors concl uded by stating, ' Our dat a
suggest t hat geographi c sexual mobility may pose a
significant STD risk f or young, white, Amer i can
college students, and por t ends t he pot ent i al risk for
ol der mor e affluent and/ or business travelling adults'
(p. 2). Al t hough this study did not establish t hat
STDs were actually passed on to t he subjects by
t hei r sex part ners from t he high-risk cities, it does
indicate t hat (a) research directly examining t he
sexual behavi our of vacat i oni ng college st udent s is
greatly needed, and (b) situations which bri ng
travellers into cont act with large number s of
individuals f r om high-risk cities coul d significantly
cont ri but e to t he spread of STDs and HI V into less
affect ed popul at i ons. St udent s who cont r act ed STDs
because of unsafe sexual practices while on spring
br eak may engage in similar practices with st udent s
in t hei r home campus.
Influence of alcohol and drugs on sexual behaviour
Dat a of a 199(I nat i onal l y r epr esent at i ve sample of
young adults aged 18- 30 showed t hat 86% had had
503
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiam et al.
sexual i nt ercourse in t he previ ous year, 75% had
consumed alcohol, and 20% had smoked mari-
juana. 2~' Consi st ent condom use among young adults
vari ed in di fferent studies f r om a low of 7% ~'' to a
high of 36%? ' When compar i ng subst ance use over
a peri od of t i me and condom use during t he same
peri od of time, findings i ndi cat ed t hat condom use
was lower and number s of sexual par t ner hi gher in
t hose who drank heavily on at least one
occasi onY ~" Similar findings were r epor t ed by The
Nat i onal College Heal t h Risk Survey. Fur t her mor e,
it was f ound t hat t hose who consumed five or mor e
drinks per occasion (binge drinking) were less likely
to use condoms consistently. 14,2~
The l i t erat ure also reveal ed t hat drug and alcohol
use was cor r el at ed to mor e sex par t ner s and mor e
sexual i nt ercourse. 1~ A study of drug-using men
showed t hat daily crack use was associated with
choosing part ners with an el evat ed STD risk, and
daily alcohol consumpt i on with having mor e
par t ner s? s
Rationale for the study
In summary, vari ous STDs are spreadi ng t hr oughout
t he popul at i on in general , and among het erosexual s
in part i cul ar at an alarmingly high rate. Col l ege
st udent s are at part i cul ar risk. Geogr aphi c mobility
is a cont ri but i ng fact or to the spread of STDs.
Al cohol and drug abuse is associated with an
i ncrease in t he number of sexual encount ers, t he
number of sexual part ners, and i nf r equent condom
use. The Beach- Fr ont Spring Br eak is a uni que
Nor t h Amer i can phenomenon t hat attracts hundr eds
of t housands of st udent s to a setting t hat brings
t oget her all of t hese forms of high-risk behavi our.
Fur t her mor e, this phenomenon appears to have its
own subcul t ure associated with a permissive sexual
script and uni nhi bi t ed behavi our.
The pur pose of this study was to investigate t he
behavi our of US college st udent s on spring br eak at
a beach dest i nat i on with specific r ef er ence to sexual
behavi our, alcohol consumpt i on and drug use.
The objectives of t he study were to det ermi ne:
(1) The levels of sexual activity of st udent s duri ng
t he spring br eak in compar i son to the per i od
pri or to t he break.
(2) The number of new sexual par t ner s duri ng
spring br eak in compari son to t he per i od pri or
to t he break.
(3) The use of condoms duri ng spring br eak
compar ed to t he peri od pri or to t he break.
(4) The use of condoms with new sexual par t ner s
met duri ng spring br eak versus t he use of
condoms with regul ar sexual part ners.
(5) The levels of alcohol consumpt i on duri ng spring
br eak in compar i son to nat i onal studies of
on-campus alcohol consumpt i on by college
students.
(6) The rel at i onshi p bet ween level of alcohol
consumpt i on and a par t y- cent r ed mot i vat i on for
travelling to a beachf r ont dest i nat i on for spring
break.
(7) The use of drugs, in t erms of quant i t y and
vari et y used, in compar i son to t hei r use pri or to
t he break.
Methodology
Quest i onnai re
A Mark Reflex br and optical scanning survey was
pr epar ed for t he study. It was based on t he measur e
f or mul at ed by Clark and Clift 3" for t hei r study of
heal t h risk behavi our among vacat i oni ng British
college students. It cont ai ned items assessing t he
f r equency of drug and alcohol consumpt i on,
whet her or not sexual i nt ercourse t ook place,
f r equency of condom use, and subst ance usage
behavi our of subjects pr i or to and duri ng spring
break. Pri or to t he study, a focus group of college
st udent s revi ewed t he measure. Mi nor modifications
suggested by t hese st udent s were i ncor por at ed into
the survey.
Part i ci pant s
Subjects were 442 femal es and 341 males
vacat i oni ng in Panama City Beach, Florida, bet ween
9 and 17 Mar ch 1995. The mean age of t he sample
was 20. 54years. Virtually all (94%) were college
st udent s enrol l ed in US colleges: of t hese 17% were
freshmen, 24% were sophomor es, 32% were juniors,
and 21% wer e seniors. The remai ni ng 6% was
compri sed of j uni or high, high school, and gr aduat e
students. Subjects recei ved no r emuner at i on for
t hei r part i ci pat i on.
Sampl i ng t echni que
To maximise t he validity of t he dat a and t he
efficiency of t hei r collection, the study was carri ed
out duri ng t he main spring br eak per i od on Panama
City Beach, Florida. This location was chosen as t he
site for dat a collection because it has become one of
t he most popul ar spring br eak dest i nat i ons for
college students. Duri ng t he week t he dat a were
col l ect ed in Panama City Beach, t he vast maj ori t y of
vacat i oni ng st udent s were cl ust ered in two 200 yard
sections of beach separ at ed by several miles of
largely unoccupi ed beach. One of t hese areas was
l ocat ed in f r ont of a popul ar beachf r ont bar and t he
ot her in f r ont of a maj or hotel. Nearl y all t he
st udent s l ocat ed in t hese areas duri ng t he dayt i me
were seat ed or lying down in small groups. Surveys
were di st ri but ed in each l ocat i on on al t er nat e days.
In bot h cases t he r esear cher s began at 10.00 a.m. at
t he one edge of t he occupi ed beach area and walked
t owards t he ot her edge, approachi ng t he st udent s
encount er ed. Less t han 10 of t he 800 students
appr oached refused to compl et e t he survey.
504
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiam et al.
Survey admi ni st rat i on procedures
When approachi ng st udent s t he researchers intro-
duced t hemsel ves, and orally pr esent ed a pr epar ed
st at ement explaining t he pur pose and topics cover ed
in t he survey. The vol unt ary nat ur e of t hei r partici-
pat i on was emphasi sed. Respondent s wer e assured
of t he anonymi t y and confi dent i al i t y of t hei r indivi-
dual responses. Fur t her mor e, they wer e i nf or med
t hat it was perfect l y accept abl e f or t hem to omi t
answers to any quest i on t hat made t hem uncomf or t -
able. Pri or research has shown t hat in situations
such as this in which confi dent i al i t y and anonymi t y
can be assured, sel f-report dat a are reliable and
val i d? TM Af t er obt ai ni ng i nf or med consent , respon-
dent s wer e given t he survey along with a cl i pboard
and pencil. Respondent s wer e t hen left to compl et e
t he survey privately. The researchers t hen posi t i oned
t hemsel ves at a distance of at least 20 f eet f r om t he
r espondent s to assure t hem of t he anonymi t y of
t hei r responses. When t he r espondent s i ndi cat ed
t hat t he surveys wer e compl et ed, t he researchers
col l ect ed t hem and i nsert ed t hem into an envel ope.
Quest i ons regardi ng t he st udy were t hen answered
and r espondent s wer e t hanked for t hei r
part i ci pat i on.
Statistical analyses
The Statistical Package for t he Social Sciences
(SPSS-PC) was utilised for all dat a analysis.
ANOVA was conduct ed to exami ne t he main effects
and interactions. Significant Fs wer e followed up
with t-tests on individual dependent measures. In
addition, chi -square tests wer e carri ed out.
Resul ts and di scussi on
Sexual behavi our f i ndi ngs
Significantly mor e acts of i nt ercourse duri ng spring
br eak were r epor t ed by males t han by females.
Among males, t he mean number of acts of inter-
course duri ng br eak was 1.54, whereas t he mean f or
femal es was onl y 0.61, t ( 499. 42) =4. 73, p<0. 001.
Table 1 cont rast s t he per cent ages of males and
femal es who r epor t ed having i nt ercourse with
ongoi ng or new par t ner s duri ng break. The maj ori t y
Table 1 Per cent ages of mal es and f emal es r epor t i ng havi ng
engaged in i nt er cour se duri ng spri ng br eak as a f unct i on of
par t ner t ype
~l~pe of partner Male Female t
percentage percentage
Ongoi ng r el at i onshi p 12.5 13.8 0.56
New par t ner met pr i or 13.3 1.4 --6. 03*
to br eak
New par t ner met duri ng 20.8 3.7 - 7 . 0 8 *
br eak
*p < 0.0001
Not e: t -t est s wer e made possi bl e by t reat i ng t he i t em as a 2-poi nt
scale.
Table 2 Mean number of new sex par t ner s per week bef or e and
duri ng spri ng br eak by gender ( st andar d devi at i ons)
Gender of Partners Partners t
respondents per week per week
before break during break
Mal e (N = 251) 0.259 (0.501) 1.510 (3.336) 6.48*
Femal e (N = 332) 0.032 (0.109) 0.114 (0.837) - 1.77
*p < 0.01
of mal es actually did not engage in i nt ercourse with
any type of part ner. However , 20% of all males had
i nt ercourse with a new par t ner t hey met f or t he first
t i me duri ng spring break. Among females, sex was
most likely to occur within t he cont ext of an ongoi ng
sexual relationship.
Compari sons of t he number of new sexual
part ners encount er ed duri ng br eak with t he typical
week val ue yi el ded t he following findings. First,
significant main effects of t i me peri od,
F(1581) = 60.92, p<0. 001, and sex of r espondent ,
F(1581) = 60.92, p<0. 001, were obt ai ned. Second, a
significant sex x t i me per i od i nt eract i on was
obt ai ned, F(1581), p<0. 001. Males had five times as
many par t ner s duri ng t hei r spring br eak t han during
t he week bef or e (Table 2). Al t hough femal es also
r epor t ed mor e part ners duri ng spring break, this
di fference was not significant. Consi deri ng t hat only
18.2% of r espondent s had been on spring br eak for
a full week when t hey were surveyed, t he number of
part ners is likely to be even hi gher aft er all respon-
dent s compl et ed t hei r holidays. As discussed earlier,
a hi gher number of part ners increases risk for STDs
and HIV. Since males had significantly hi gher
number s of par t ner s duri ng t he break, t hey are mor e
at risk t han femal e students. However, t her e is an
i ndi rect risk f or femal es st udent s if t hey ent er
rel at i onshi ps with t hese males some t i me aft er
spring break.
By cont rast , bot h males and femal es were less
likely to have had sex with an ongoi ng rel at i onshi p
par t ner duri ng br eak t han duri ng t he previ ous
mont h, t(608) = 18.71, p<0. 001. Duri ng t he
previ ous mont h, 55. 6% engaged in sexual inter-
course with an ongoi ng rel at i onshi p par t ner , but
only 13.5% did so duri ng break.
It appears t hat t he par t ner s in many ongoi ng
rel at i onshi ps are not travelling on spring br eak
t oget her. It woul d seem t hat spring br eak travel to
beach dest i nat i ons is percei ved as a means of
meet i ng new sexual part ners, r at her t han an
occasion for a r omant i c getaway with an ongoi ng
part ner. Mewhi nney et al. 2~ r epor t ed this response
f r om a spring br eak participant: "Well, you are not
going t her e to find a girlfriend! . . . [guys place bets
on] who is going to get t he most chicks in t he
week. " (p. 282).
A compar i son was made bet ween t he number of
new sex par t ner s encount er ed by males and femal es
505
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students." B M Josiam et al.
duri ng br eak for t hose with and wi t hout a sexual
rel at i onshi p at home. Significant mai n effect s wer e
obt ai ned for bot h r el at i onshi p pr esence,
F(1589) = 7.04, p < 0.01, and gender,
F(1589) = 54.49, p<0. 001. Significantly mor e new
sexual par t ner s wer e r epor t ed by mal es who
i ndi cat ed t hat t hey had an ongoi ng sexual rel at i on-
ship at home (Table 3). However , among femal es, a
rel at i onshi p at home had no significant effect on t he
numbe r of new sexual par t ner s one had on break.
Significantly hi gher number s of new sexual
par t ner s wer e r epor t ed by mal es t han by f emal es in
bot h rel at i onshi p pr esence cat egori es. As not ed
earl i er, t he numbe r of sexual par t ner s f or mal es is
likely to be an i ndi cat or of t he ' success' of t hei r
spri ng br eak holiday. Even mal es wi t h an ongoi ng
r el at i onshi p at home mi ght feel t hat t hey have to
pr ove such ' success' to t hemsel ves and t hei r mal e
peers. Si mi l ar sex di fferences have been obser ved in
ot her studies. Ei ser and For d 2~ obser ved that:
. . . hi gher levels of [sexual] activities reported by
males may have reflected their encounters with a
small number of highly promiscuous females who are
Table 3 Mean number of new sex par t ner s duri ng spri ng br eak
as a funct i on of sexual r el at i onshi p and gender ( st andar d
devi at i ons)
Gender of Ongoing No relationship t
respondents relationship at home
at home
Mal e (N = 251) 1.949 (3.695) 0.973 (2.760) 2.40*
Femal e (N = 328) 0.176 (1.113) 0.041 (0.199) 1.61
t 5.46** 3.73**
*/ )<0. 05; **p <0. 001.
not included in our sample. More prosaically, we
cannot exclude the possibility that self-presentation
motives, even under anonymous conditions, may have
led to some overreporting by males and underre-
porting by females. Be this as it may, the data should
be interpreted as indicative of self-defined levels of
sexual activity (p. 336).
Condom use
I f sexual i nt er cour se t akes place, condoms are t he
most effect i ve pr event i on bar r i er to STDs. Previ ous
results have i ndi cat ed t hat mor e sexual i nt er cour se
with mor e new par t ner s t akes pl ace duri ng spring
break. Ri sk of cont r act i ng STDs and HI V is
i ncreased if condoms are not used. Res pondent s
wer e asked how consi st ent l y condoms wer e used
duri ng sexual i nt er cour se with new par t ner s duri ng
spri ng break. No significant sex di fferences were
obt ai ned for this quest i on. Resul t s for condom use
duri ng and bef or e spri ng br eak are shown in Figure
1.
Al t hough duri ng spri ng br eak t he modal r esponse
to this i t em was ' al ways' , 42. 7% of t hose who had
i nt er cour se with a new par t ner duri ng br eak did not
always use condoms. Mor eover , ' never ' was chosen
by 21.4%. Compar i ng t hese per cent ages with
pr e- br eak dat a shows t hat consi st ency of condom
use pr i or to br eak was significantly l ower t han the
levels r epor t ed duri ng br eak, t ( 47) = 3.05, p <0 . 0 1 .
Al t oget her , 72. 6% of t he r es pondent s who were
sexually active duri ng t he previ ous mont h did not
always use condoms. These results concur with t hose
f ound in ot her studies. 3'
Al most twice as many st udent s r epor t ed t hey
always used condoms duri ng spri ng br eak in
compar i son to condom use in t he previ ous mont h.
Figure 1
G)
(/)
E
0
- 0
t -
0
~D
' 4 , - -
0
> ,
o
c-
oD
0 "
I.l.
Very Often l i i l i l k ' i l l O . 3
Sometimes
Rarel~
1.8
!
0 10 20 30 40 50
Percentage of Respondents
I ~ During Break ~ l pre'Break I
60 70
506
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students." B M Josiam et al.
These results i ndi cat e t hat t hey wer e aware of t he
risk of cont ract i ng STDs and HI V. In addi t i on t o
items assessing consi st ency of condom use, t he
survey cont ai ned an i t em asking r espondent s if t hey
br ought condoms with t hem to t hei r spring br eak
vacat i on dest i nat i on. A highly significant sex differ-
ence was obt ai ned for this item, t(527.82) = - 17. 12,
p<0. 001) . Among males, 63.6% r epor t ed having
br ought condoms with t hem, but onl y 11.2% of t he
femal es r epor t ed having done this. Ther e were mor e
males bringing condoms t han having sexual i nt er-
course, which per haps illustrates one of t he expecta-
tions of spring br eak travel. However, fewer femal es
bringing condoms does not i ndi cat e less expect at i on
of sexual i nt ercourse, as ot her cont r acept i on
met hods can be used by females. 2~ Fur t her mor e, this
may also refl ect an expect at i on by femal es t hat
mal es are responsi bl e for having a condom available.
Males with an ongoi ng sexual rel at i onshi p at
home r epor t ed mor e new sex par t ner s during br eak
t han t hose with no such relationship. Ther ef or e, t he
condom use of t hese two groups was exami ned. The
mean condom use consistency level r epor t ed for
t hose having sex with new part ners duri ng br eak was
4.19 (SD = 2.20) for t hose with an ongoi ng sexual
rel at i onshi p at home, but was 4.85 (SD = 1.89) for
t hose with no such relationship. This di fference was
not significant. Mor eover , having an ongoi ng sexual
rel at i onshi p at home did not affect t he l i kel i hood of
ei t her mal es or femal es taking condoms with t hem
on spring break.
Taken t oget her, t hese findings indicate t hat
individuals with an ongoi ng rel at i onshi p at home are
mor e likely to have sex with a new par t ner duri ng
break. However, they are no mor e likely to use a
condom when doi ng so, and are no less likely to
pr epar e f or t he possibility of having sex duri ng
br eak by bringing condoms with t hem. It appears
t hat st udent s with an ongoi ng rel at i onshi p at home
wer e ei t her not aware of t he risks of cont ract i ng
STDs and HIV, or not concer ned about t ransmi t t i ng
t hem to t hei r part ners upon t hei r ret urn.
Alcohol consumption
As previously not ed, drinking is cor r el at ed with
unsafe sexual activity. Hence, t he alcohol consump-
tion of t he r espondent s was assessed in several ways.
First, subjects wer e asked how of t en t hey had been
i nt oxi cat ed duri ng break. A significant sex di fference
was obt ai ned f or this item, t ( 667. 25) =10. 12,
p < 0.001). The maj ori t y of femal es (56. 5%) r epor t ed
a f r equency of bei ng i nt oxi cat ed which r anged from
' never' to ' several times' (Figure 2). Among males,
t he maj ori t y (75%) r epor t ed a f r equency which
ranged f r om ' every day' to ' always' . A full 21.4% of
t he males r epor t ed t hat during spring br eak they
were always intoxicated.
Second, any sel f-report of f r equency of intoxica-
tion is likely to include er r or variance. For this
reason, an additional measur e of ext r eme intoxica-
tion was also used. This measur e asked r espondent s
to indicate how frequent l y t hey had been i nt oxi cat ed
to t he poi nt of becomi ng sick or passing out.
Accordi ng t o Miller and Munoz, 42 vomi t i ng typically
occurs at a bl ood-al cohol level of 0.120 (120 rag%)
and consciousness is typically lost at a level of 0.300.
Such out comes are associated with very high bl ood-
alcohol levels. A significant sex di fference was also
obt ai ned for this measure, t ( 576. 10) = 4.20, p <0 0 1 .
The per cent ages of males and femal es choosi ng
0 5
( / )
( / )
( ! )
t -
~ )
. 3
r -
More Tha
2 Evel
a
"6
>" Several
o
-
0 "
U-
10 15 20 25 30 35
Percentage of Respondents
Figure 2
I ~ Males ~ Females
4o 4 5
507
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiam et al.
each of the options for this measure are shown in
Figure 3. It should be not ed t hat for bot h males and
females, the modal response to this item was ' never' .
Nonetheless, 49.7% of the males and 41.5% of the
females had consumed enough alcohol during break
to become sick or pass out at least once during
break. Furt hermore, it was found t hat 21.3% of
males and 10.1% of females had at t ai ned this level
of intoxication more t han once.
Femal es report ed lower levels of alcohol abuse in
comparison to males. However, levels of alcohol
abuse among women on spring break are still at
harmful levels. Furt hermore, research has shown
t hat women consuming the same amount of alcohol
as men are at great er risk for alcohol rel at ed
problems. 4~
The impaired j udgement as a result of heavy
drinking is likely to lead to high risk taking, not just
for sexual activities, but for driving, sunbathing, and
ot her activities. Alcohol intoxication increases car
accidents, aggression and violence towards self and
others, risk of falls, drownings, burns and ot her
injuries. 44
Binge drinking
Binge drinking in this study was defined as the
consumpt i on of five or more drinks by males and
four or more drinks by females during ei t her the
previous day (9.00 a. m. -6. 00 p.m.) or the previous
night (6.00 p. m. -2. 00 a.m.). Chi-square analyses
were conduct ed to assess the effects of each of the
four i ndependent variables exami ned in this study
on binge drinking prevalence. Significantly higher
levels of binge drinking were found among males
0o
,'- Always
o
o More Than Daily
,..
2
E3
03
-
rn
"6
> ,
o
-
O"
u_
Every Day
Several T i m e s _ ~
i
~ 8 4 , 7
i i
, 2 7 ;
l
5.6
( Chi - squar e=27. 11, p<0. 0001) . Over 90% of the
males report ed at least one binge and nearly 70%
report ed two. Among females, nearly 80% binged
the previous day.
Compari sons with previous studies t hat measure
alcohol consumpt i on by st udent s in a campus setting
can serve as a reference point. A national study of
Ameri can university st udent drinking pat t erns has
shown t hat 8.10% of males consume 18 or more
drinks per week, and 8.4% of females consume ten
or more drinks during a week. 4~ Similarly, according
to the Nat i onal College Heal t h Risk Survey, 43.8%
of college males and 27% of college females
report ed at least one drinking binge in the past two
weeksY In the present study, however, 91% of the
males and 78% of the females report ed at least one
drinking binge in the previous day.
Travel motivation and alcohol abuse
Motivations for selecting Panama City Beach
included: good party reput at i on (44.10%), friends
are going (27.00%), friends or family live there
(6.4%), price is right (12.2%), ot her (7.5%). A
compari son was made of the alcohol abuse levels of
those choosing ' good party reput at i on' with the
remaining participants. Those in the ' ot her' category
were excluded. ' Party reput at i on' was chosen as the
reason for choosing this particular dest i nat i on for
spring break by 134 males (52%) and 158 females
(45%). They consumed more drinks the previous
day and the previous night as compared to those
choosing ot her motivators regardless of their
gender. Furt her, t hey report ed a higher frequency of
intoxication, and t hey were more likely to drink to
0 10 20 30 40 50
Percentage of Respondent s
60 70
l Mal es ~ Femal es I
F i g u r e 3
508
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students." B M Josiam et al.
Table 4 Mean r esponses of r es pondent s r epor t i ng part y r eput at i on and ot her dest i nat i on mot i vat i ons
Vari abl e Me an ( SD) Mean ( SD) ot her t
part y reput at i on mot i vat i ons
Dri nks cons umed bet ween 9 a.m. and 6 p. m. previ ous day 6.80 (4.84) 5.05 (4.76) - 4 . 5 7 *
Dri nks cons umed bet ween 6 p. m. and 2 a.m. previ ous ni ght 8.23 (4.27) 6.91 (4.36) - 3 . 8 8 *
Fr equency of bei ng i nt oxi cat ed duri ng week' 3.84 (1.35) 3.34 (1.28) - 4 . 8 2 *
Fr equency of bei ng dr unk t o t he poi nt of si ckness or passi ng out duri ng week~' 1.86 (1.16) 1.63 (1.02) - 2.62*
*p < 0.0001.
' Assessed using a 6-poi nt scal e rangi ng f r om 1 ' never ' to 6 ' always' .
-~Assessed usi ng a 6-poi nt scale rangi ng f r om 1 ' never ' to 6 ' every t i me' .
t he poi nt of becomi ng sick or passing out (Table 4).
Those r epor t i ng this mot i vat i on were also mor e
likely to engage in binge drinking t han t hose
choosi ng ot her mot i vat i ons (Chi -square = 8.10,
p<0. 001) . Appr oxi mat el y hal f of all part i ci pant s
chose Panama City Beach as a dest i nat i on for its
' part y reput at i on' . Fur t her , t hose identifying this
mot i vat i on consumed significantly mor e alcohol t han
did t hose identifying ot her motivations.
A study by Josi am et al ? f ound t hat st udent s
travel duri ng spring br eak to a vari et y of destina-
tions. These include met r opol i t an cities, nat i onal
parks, and small towns. Fur t her , t hey f ound t hat less
t han 10.0% of st udent s travel to a spring br eak
dest i nat i on because of its ' part y reput at i on' , as
compar ed to 47. 7% t hat chose this mot i vat i on in t he
pr esent study.
A vari et y of beachf r ont dest i nat i ons are available
to st udent s seeking ' sun, surf, sand' on t hei r spring
br eak vacation. However, some dest i nat i ons have
st art ed to aggressively di scourage st udent s f r om
visiting by strictly enforci ng laws r el at ed to public
dr unkenness and under age drinking. As a result,
some st udent s may be seeki ng out spring br eak
dest i nat i ons t hat are mor e t ol er ant of alcohol
consumpt i on such as Panama City Beach, Florida.
This dest i nat i on appears to wel come t he part y
scene, as seen f r om t he web site of t he Panama City
Beach Convent i on and Visitors Bur eau
(http:204. 49. 131. 2/springbreak/tdc. htm):
Perhaps the best thing about spending Spring Break
on Panama City Beach is--believe it or not --t he
police. You can party on the beach and the local
constabulary won't hassle you. In fact the police here
go out of their way to make you feel welcome (unlike
other places on the Atlantic Coast of Florida) and
won't hassle students.
Use o f illegal drugs
Al t hough alcohol is by far t he most commonl y used
r ecr eat i onal drug among college st udent s in t he US,
ot her mood- al t er i ng drugs such as mari j uana coul d
also i ncrease risk-taking behavi our. St udent s were
asked to compar e t he quant i t y and vari et y of t hei r
drug use duri ng spring br eak and duri ng t he past
mont h. St udent s wer e also asked whet her or not
t hey had used each of a number of illegal drugs.
Mari j uana was t he most widely us ed- - by 31.8% of
t he respondent s. No significant sex di fferences wer e
f ound in t he use of drugs.
Figure 4 illustrates t he di fference in quant i t y and
vari et y of drug use. Over 50% consumed mor e or
much mor e drugs during break, 30.1% consumed
about t he same amount , and 19.7% consumed less
or much less. The second item asked r espondent s to
compar e t he vari et y of drugs t hey were using duri ng
br eak with t he vari et y of drugs t hey typically use at
home. In cont rast with t he quant i t y item, 87%
r epor t ed t hat t he vari et y of drugs consumed duri ng
br eak was t he same, less or much less t han t he
vari et y of drugs they typically consume at home. No
significant sex di fferences wer e obt ai ned f or quant i t y
or vari et y of drug use.
Finally, it was f ound t hat many st udent s were
of f er ed t he oppor t uni t y to use new drugs while on
spring break. However , onl y 26 out of 795 (or 3. 3%)
exper i ment ed with a new drug. Among t hose who
used illegal drugs on a regul ar basis, t he quant i t y
used during br eak was likely to be hi gher t han
normal , but t he vari et y of drugs used was not likely
to increase. When st udent s were asked if t hey had
ever been of f er ed illegal drugs while on break,
51.5% i ndi cat ed t hat t hey had. However, if an
individual had never t ri ed an illegal drug pri or to
break, they were not likely to use it duri ng break.
Al t hough this item did not specify t he drugs that
were offered, it is qui t e likely t hat t he overwhel mi ng
maj ori t y of t hose of f er ed drugs were of f er ed
mari j uana. The consistency of alcohol and drug use
is fairly similar, in t hat use was preval ent bef or e t he
br eak and i ncreased duri ng t he spring br eak peri od.
Implications
The beachf r ont spring br eak hol i day is f ound to be a
setting t hat is associated with hi gher levels of
alcohol and drug abuse as well as risky sexual
behavi our. This pat t er n of unr est r ai ned risky
behavi our on spring br eak is consi st ent with ot her
studies of yout h tourists which have f ound t hat
holidays can pr omot e situational disinhibition. 23,24
Fur t her , it is also consi st ent with t he findings of
Mewhi nney et al. 2~ t hat Spring Br eak pr omot es a
permissive sexual script.
509
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students. B M Josiam et al.
Figure 4
qJ
b$
0
.p=i
0
(J
Much Less
1 lo.5
Less i ~ '5
~.2
Same
Much More
~ 1 ~ 2 ; ' . 1
0 10 20 30 40 50
Per~ntage
60 70
J 1 Quantity E Variety I
It has also been pr oposed t hat t he rel at i onshi p
bet ween alcohol consumpt i on and sexual behavi our
coul d be expl ai ned by social learning t heor y? ~'
Accordi ng to Crowe and Geor ge: 47
the world is full of associations between alcohol and
sex. Most are positive and few are subtle. Liquor ads
feature beautiful women and macho men. James
Bond's sexual prowess thrives on vodka martinis and
Dom Perignon (p. 382).
This association bet ween alcohol consumpt i on and
sexual behavi our has been illustrated by t he
comment s made by st udent s on t hei r Spring Br eak
websites, as not ed earlier.
Fur t her , expect anci es are socially l earned cogni-
tions. 4~' Sexual t hemes in alcohol advertising may
cont r i but e to t he cognitions that peopl e form about
alcohol and sexuality. Chri st i ansen e t a l ? ~ showed
t hat adol escent s have deepl y ent r enched and broad-
based beliefs t hat alcohol i mproves social and
physical pl easure. Advert i si ng f or beachf r ont spring
breaks is r epl et e with images of free-flowing alcohol
and scantily clad bodi es in sexually suggestive poses.
This may lead to t he expect at i on by st udent s t hat
alcohol consumpt i on on spring br eak will i mprove
bot h t he chances of sexual success and sexual
prowess. Such expect anci es may cont ri but e to
i ncreased sexual behavi our among individuals
consumi ng alcohol.
These findings have t he following implications. All
t hr ee types of behavi our exami ned are preval ent at
home, and awareness shoul d be initially t ar get ed
t her e and rei nforced at spring br eak destinations. If
alcohol consumpt i on coul d be r educed below
harmful levels, condom use is likely to increase. If
drug use coul d be decr eased at home, it is most
likely to be decr eased at spring br eak dest i nat i ons as
well. Risk f r om STD transmission for t hose sexually
active is hi gher at spring br eak destinations.
St udent s who wish to engage in heavy drinking,
and a part y lifestyle in general , may be mor e likely
to travel to dest i nat i ons t hat have few barri ers to
drinking. Such dest i nat i on communi t i es t hat t arget
heavy drinkers may r eap t he economi c benefits of
t ouri sm in t he short term. However, in t he long run,
t hey are placing bot h t he host communi t y and t he
visiting st udent s at risk from t he consequences of
alcohol abuse.
The t ouri sm industry must recogni se its responsi-
bilities. A cursory l ook at spring br eak pr omot i onal
mat eri al s and videos highlights t he type of alcohol
and sexually rel at ed activities t hat t he t ouri sm
industry is not only condoni ng, but encouragi ng. As
t he t ouri sm industry is benefi t i ng f r om st udent s
travelling duri ng spring break, it clearly has a social
responsibility in its market i ng and pr omot i onal
campaigns, 4.~ and once st udent s are at the
dest i nat i on.
I nt ervent i on st rat egi es
It is r ecommended t hat a coor di nat ed t ri part i t e
appr oach of st udent health services, heal t h depart -
ment s at spring br eak destinations, and t he t ouri sm
industry Is needed to decr ease risky sexual
510
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiam et al.
behaviour and heavy drinking. Duri ng the mont h
prior to spring break, university heal t h services
could i mpl ement STD and HI V prevent i on
campaigns for the general st udent population. A
t arget ed approach for high risk st udent groups, such
as members of a fraternity/sorority, those leading a
party lifestyle and engaging in ot her risky behaviour
could be adopt ed, s'' For these groups, programmes
should address STDs and HIV, alcohol and drug
consumpt i on, as well as exploring at t i t udes toward
risk-taking behaviour. Duri ng the peri od of spring
break, the heal t h depart ment s at spring break desti-
nations should cont i nue the efforts of the st udent
health services, and liaise with the tourism industry.
Educat i on programmes, while i mport ant , are only
one component of a mul t i facet ed strategy to address
risky behavi our during spring break. Changi ng the
envi ronment at spring break destinations should
compl ement education. St ronger enforcement of
substance abuse rel at ed laws and restrictions on
drinking in public would be a first step.
Condoms could be distributed free of charge by
heal t h authorities at the beachfront and popul ar
bars and nightclubs. This approach has already been
i mpl ement ed in Brazil. Millions of condoms were
distributed duri ng the Carnival2' As a spokeswoman
at the Heal t h Ministry said:
The Carnival is considered as a period of increased
sexual activity . . . The euphoria provoked by
Carnival and the excessive consumption of alcohol
make it a moment when people are more likely to
forget about prevention.
City councils in conj unct i on with chambers of
commerce and the tourism industry could offer
attractive activity programs with a non-alcohol focus.
These could include concerts, where only
non-alcoholic beverages were sold, and compet i t i ons
on the beach where those who are intoxicated or
suffering from hangovers would be unabl e to partici-
pate. This would serve to marginalise, rat her t han
glamorise, alcohol and drug abusers.
Roads near the beach could be closed to private
vehicles and shuttle services could be provided. This
would discourage st udent s from driving under the
influence. By i mpl ement i ng these envi ronment al
considerations, conflict bet ween spring break travel-
lers and the local popul at i on could be cont ai ned
wi t hout j eopardi si ng revenue. On the ot her hand,
current costs associated with the excesses of spring
break travel, such as increased policing, arrests,
emergency depar t ment t reat ment s, ambul ance trans-
ports, personal, vehicle and propert y damage, would
decrease.
The j oi nt approach of early and cont i nui ng
alcohol abuse educat i on, and a changed environ-
ment at spring break destinations, may be able to
decrease alcohol abuse and ot her risky behavi our
among students. This may also serve to increase the
acceptance of spring break tourists by local
residents, and help in devel opment of sustainable
spring break tourism.
Li mi tati ons
The findings of this study cannot be generalised to
all students who went on spring break, as dat a were
only gat hered from students at one location, in one
destination.
Di recti ons for future research
Addi t i onal research is needed in a variety of related
issues. First, this study surveyed students for only
one week. As a result, only students from univer-
sities on spring break during t hat week were
surveyed. A comprehensive study covering the ent i re
season of six weeks would permi t the researchers to
generalise with great er confidence. It would allow
for exploration of differences bet ween students from
different regions of the country. Discussions with
local residents provided anecdot al evidence t hat
students from some colleges and regions are ' wilder'
t han others.
Second, a large segment of the spring break
market travels to foreign destinations, particularly to
Mexico. 2 Since laws regarding alcohol consumpt i on
are enforced with less rigour in Mexico and the legal
drinking age is only 18, younger college age students
are drawn in large numbers to destinations such as
Cancun. In addition, spring break used to be
regarded as a tourism activity for college age
students. However, there appears to be an
increasing participation of high school students. In
1996, it was found t hat 40% of the 250,000 spring
breakers in Cancun, Mexico, were in fact high
school st udent s? 2 Furt hermore, Mexican bars and
nightclubs have been targeting underage students at
destinations located near the US- Mexi can border.
Buses are being provided in South Padre Island,
Texas, to enable underage students to visit bars in
Mexico? 3 It would also be interesting to investigate
the levels of alcohol abuse among high school
students on vacation in Mexico.
Third, the popul at i on in this study was predomi-
nantly Caucasian, as t hat was the racial composition
of the st udent popul at i on at Panama City Beach. A
parallel phenomenon of ' Black' spring break,
popularly known as ' Freakni k' , is emerging. Some
200,000 Af r i can- Amer i can college st udent s annually
congregate in At l ant a, Georgia, during a single
weekend in Apri l ? 4 It is i mport ant to investigate
how the activities of Af r i can- Amer i can college
students vacationing in a metro-city differ from
Caucasian st udent s vacationing at the beach.
Fourt h, this study did not address issues of
mot i vat i on in detail. Addi t i onal research is needed
to find out what psychosocial needs of the respon-
dents are fulfilled by indulging in part y-cent red
511
Sexual, alcohol and drug related behavioural patterns of students: B M Josiam et al.
b e h a v i o u r . Su c h i n f o r ma t i o n wo u l d f a c i l i t a t e
c r e a t i o n a n d i mp l e me n t a t i o n o f e f f e c t i v e i n t e r v e n -
t i o n s t r a t e g i e s .
Co nc l us i o n
Mi l l i o n s o f s t u d e n t s i n No r t h Ame r i c a i n d u l g e i n
h a r mf u l l e ve l s o f a l c o h o l a b u s e a n d o t h e r r i s ky
b e h a v i o u r d u r i n g t h e i r s p r i n g b r e a k v a c a t i o n .
De s p i t e t hi s s e r i o u s s t a t e o f af f ai r s , t hi s r e s e a r c h is
t h e f i r st e mp i r i c a l s t u d y o f t hi s t opi c . Ad d i t i o n a l
r e s e a r c h wo u l d p r o v i d e a g r e a t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f
t h e s e p h e n o me n a . Su c h a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g wo u l d a i d
i n t h e d e v e l o p me n t o f e f f e c t i v e i n t e r v e n t i o n s t r a t -
e g i e s t o mi n i mi s e t h e h a r mf u l i mp a c t o f r i sky
b e h a v i o u r o n s p r i n g b r e a k a mo n g s t t h e s t u d e n t
p o p u l a t i o n .
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