In an effort to reduce high-risk drinking among college athletes, the University of Louisville's athletics department and its College of Education and Human Development developed an innovative social-norms campaign and peer education program.

The research team created a social- norms media campaign based on student-athlete perceptions and behaviors related to alcohol consumption. Surveys of first-year and upper-division students addressed student-athletes' drinking behavior and perceptions of peers' drinking behavior. Survey questions focused on perceived drinking behaviors of male and female athletes. Student-athletes usually responded that when compared to themselves, their peers had more to drink and drank more frequently, and that nonathletes drank more and more often.

Student-athletes leaders used their high-profile status on campus to model positive choices and educate peers about the responsibility to make low-risk drinking choices. Student-athlete focus groups discussed the significance of being a student-athlete. Results from the survey and the focus groups were used for two purposes: first, to develop a social-norms media campaign and, second, to train peer educators to dispel these misperceptions among student-athletes.

The "Positive Choices" media campaign targeted student-athletes with messages drawn from the collected survey data; from focus groups; and from interviews profiling responsible, hard-working student-athletes who model positive choices life skills. Our first poster called "Card Facts" portrayed positive normative messages drawn from both the survey and focus group quotes.

Nearly 1,000 posters were given to students and distributed on campus.

The messages included some of the following: 91 percent of student-athletes respect other student-athletes who do not drink; nine out of 10 student-athletes do not pressure others to drink; and being a student-athlete is "being part of a community of athletes who consistently support each other... ."

In 2003, "Card Fact" ads appeared consecutively for two semesters in the sports section of the university's student newspaper. The newspaper ads for 2004 are called "Card Voices." Each week a student-athlete's quote captures the perspective on making positive choices as a student when socializing with peers. The media campaign consisted of 60- and 30-second radio and 60-second television public-service announcements, Target Vision slides on monitors, two new posters, a T-shirt and Frisbees.

Student-athlete peer educators recruited from the Student-Athlete Advisory Board met regularly and participated in initial team-building meetings, intense content sessions and several media projects. Trained peer educators delivered interactive activities in a required Healthy Lifestyles class for first-year student-athletes.

"THE BALL Exercise" was a particularly successful activity. The student-athlete peers, with help from the trainers, formulated questions related to alcohol education and taped them on a soccer ball. The ball was thrown at random to students, and they read and responded to the question facing them. The activity generated lively discussion and the peer educators gained confidence with each class they taught. The focus was always on positive activities and behaviors that students were doing that were healthy, fun, and low risk.

Overall, the Positive Choices media campaign raised awareness of misperceptions, encouraged low-risk drinking choices and highlighted the positive contributions of student-athletes to the university community.

This account of the University of Louisville's "Positive Choices" campaign was submitted by Cheryl A. Kolander, professor of health education; Margaret W. Pentecost, director of education grants and sponsored programs; Stacy Henry, coordinator of the media campaign; Kim Demling-Castelluzzo, coordinator of peer educators; and Ashley Armstrong, assistant athletics director at the university.