Recommendations

The findings of this research are broadly positive about what has been

achieved to date in the area of college alcohol policies, and the following

recommendations are offered with a view to maintaining and strengthening

this process: 

1. As part of the wider health promoting colleges initiative, colleges should

be encouraged to accept full corporate responsibility for their alcohol

policies rather than leaving this function to the student services  sector.

2.  Bearing in mind the somewhat marginal status of alcohol policies within

third level colleges and the importance of the external supportive role

which has been played thus far by the Health Promotion Unit  (HPU), this

supportive role should be continued. 

3.  Colleges should be encouraged to work towards a  policy mix ; that is,

to implement a wider range of preventive strategies than has been the

norm over the past few years where restrictions on industry marketing,

promotion and sponsorship have been dominant. 

4.  Colleges should be encouraged to carry out their own internal research

on their alcohol policies   starting with basic research as to how much

awareness staff and students have of these policies. 

5.  The CLAN survey should be repeated every three years.

6.  The CLAN findings should be complemented by qualitative research,

conducted in a number of different sites, into student drinking patterns

in Ireland: such qualitative research might prove particularly useful in

clarifying the relative risk attaching to student drinking on and off

campus.

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