Creating a health communication campaign for college campuses to address the intersection of alcohol and sexual consent.

Objective

This paper examines the development of an evidence-based health communication campaign about college students' perceptions of alcohol use and sexual consent.

Participants

Data were collected in three phases from two public Southwestern universities: 131 undergraduate students in phase 1, 264 in phase 2, and 21 in phase 3 interviews.

Methods

Phase 1 involved an online survey assessing alcohol use, sexual activity, and consent perceptions. Phase 2 tested campaign concepts, with students evaluating content effectiveness, alcohol-related beliefs, and sexual behaviors. Phase 3 refined and piloted "Your Level" vs. "Their Level" and "Q&A Cards," through social media posts and online interviews.

Results

Students exposed to the concept, "Your Level" vs. "Their Level" endorsed marginally lower intoxicated consent thresholds than those who were not, indicating an implicit understanding of its consent-related content. Students also emphasized normalizing alcohol and consent conversations and consistent language across campaigns. Both concepts were seen as effective in showing how alcohol impairs consent.

Conclusions

Interventions should integrate alcohol and consent in communication efforts.