ERIC Number: EJ1329580
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1932-5037
EISSN: N/A
Instagram Posts Related to Alcohol Use on College Football Game Days after Implementation of an Alcohol Sales Policy
Chaney, Beth H.; Martin, Ryan J.; Hart, Hunter; Cobb, Jordan
American Journal of Health Education, v53 n1 p56-62 2022
Background: Alcohol-use frequency likely has a causal impact on chronic conditions. Many university/college athletic departments have implemented policies that allow alcohol sales at sporting events. Few studies have assessed the social context and impact of sales at college football games on fan behavior. One method for retrospectively assessing such behavior is to analyze event-specific social media posts to capture behavior displayed as photographs and text captions on event days. Purpose: This study analyzed online data, specific to a Southeast university, posted on Instagram, after implementation of a policy to allow alcohol sales. Methods: The posts were coded by alcohol presentation, alcohol/account type, account owner's gender, caption, context, likes, and comments present. Results: Key findings included--(i) an increase in alcohol images after policy implementation, although not statistically significant, (ii) alcohol posts portrayed alcohol in an overwhelmingly positive context, and (iii) alcohol content was posted more frequently by women and non-alcohol related businesses, and the primary alcohol present was beer in these posts. Discussion: The use of Instagram for assessing the social context of alcohol use among Instagram users did allow for a better understanding of social characteristics in the context of a specific social activity (i.e., sporting event). Translation to Health Education Practice: This research provides viable data collection methods for examining the social context of event-specific drinking (Area 1.2) and promotes discussions regarding how social media posts impact drinking behaviors among those who view the posts.
Descriptors: Drinking, College Athletics, Social Media, Social Influences, Audiences, Telecommunications, Photography, Retailing, Purchasing, College Students, Alumni, School Policy, Context Effect, Individual Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A