1. USC American College Health Association
National College Health Assessment
Report
Freshman Living Location
Spring 2015

2. Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............. 3
Methods ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Demographic Information …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
General Alcohol Consumption Statistics
General Alcohol vs. Living Location …………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
General Alcohol vs. International Status …………………………………………………………………………………… 7
General Alcohol vs. Ethnicity …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
At Risk Drinking Statistics
At Risk Drinking vs. Living Location …………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
At Risk Drinking vs. International Status …………………………………………………………………………………. 10
At Risk Drinking vs. Ethnicity …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Marijuana Use Statistics
Marijuana Use vs. Living Location …………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
Marijuana Use vs. International Status …………………………………………………………………………………… 13
Marijuana Use vs. Gender ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14
Marijuana Use vs. Ethnicity …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
Health Behavior Frequencies Across Living Location ……………………………………………………………………………. 16
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17
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3. Introduction
Health promotion is defined by the World Health Organization “as the process of enabling people to increase
control over, and to improve their health.”
1
It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range
of social and environmental interventions.
Health promotion is a comprehensive and multi-strategic approach to health; it encompasses skills building and
individual capacities, but also recognizes the impact of social, environmental, and economic conditions on public
and individual health. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion outlines five action areas in health promotion:
build healthy public policy; create supportive environments for health; strengthen community action for health;
develop personal skills; and re-orient health services towards prevention.
2
On a residential college campus, this
systematic approach to health becomes the work of the whole institution, as wellness capacity is essential to
learning capacity. In order to provide high quality services with populations with diverse needs, it is essential that
there is data describing the health behaviors of the students as a population. This data helps to inform policy
makers, administrators, faculty, staff, and students about current health status and helps with strategic planning
and resource allocation.
The National College Health Assessment II (NCHA II) is a national research initiative coordinated by the American
College Health Association (ACHA), to assist institutions of higher education in collecting data about the health and
wellness of their students. The ACHA-NCHA II allows each campus to generate prevalence rates for alcohol use,
sexual behavior, safety, exercise, and prevalence of disease.
The goal of this assessment is to provide data on the prevalence, status, and misperceptions about student
behavior. This data can guide the campus leadership by providing a firm basis for planning and evaluating services
that can positively impact students’ safety, well-being and academic success. This report provides data on the
population of students at the University Park Campus and highlights differences in the freshman residence hall
area populations.
The American College Health Association (AHCA) compiles an aggregate national report. While the sample is large,
is it not a true national sample, as it is not representative of the vast diversity of either the institutions or the
individuals enrolled therein. The report can be viewed at www.acha-ncha.org.
This current report summarizes key points from the survey administered to students at the University Park
Campus. Due to the length of the survey, not all data points have been included. Analyses of additional questions
are available for interested readers through the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion in the University Park
Health Center at 213-740-4777 or by visiting http://engemannshc.usc.edu/research/acha-assessment/. For a
sample of the instrument used, please follow this link: http://www.achancha.org/docs/ACHA-NCHA_II_2008.pdf.
1
World Health Organization. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 1986 Nov 21
Available from: http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index.html
2
World Health Organization. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 1986 Nov 21
Available from: http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index.html
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4. Methods
Questionnaire design. In 2008, ACHA introduced a second version of ACHA-NCHA questionnaire (ACHA-NCHA II).
The ACHA-NCHA II questionnaire consists of sixty-five questions divided into eight sections: health; health
education and safety; alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; sex behavior and contraception; weight, nutrition, and exercise;
mental health; physical health; impediments to academic performance; and demographic characteristics.
Procedure. The survey was conducted at the University of Southern California in the spring of 2015. The NCHA was
emailed to 3693 randomly selected students on the University Park Campus. All 3693 students were emailed a
letter alerting them to the forthcoming survey, as well as two subsequent emails after receiving the survey in an
effort to increase the return rate. A lottery drawing for ten $100 Visa gift cards were also offered as an incentive.
Response rate. In 2015, 644 completed surveys were returned for a response rate of 17%.
Analytic strategy/data preparation. This report focuses on the surveys that were administered in 2015. The data
set was further shortened to include only Freshmen who live in on campus dorms: New, North, Birnkrant, Pardee,
Marks Hall, Marks Tower, Trojan Hall, Webb Tower, Fluor Tower, Parkside Arts and Humanities, Parkside
International Residential College and Parkside Apartments. As a result, the final sample contained 557 students.
Frequencies are reported throughout the report.
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5. Demographic Information
*North: New, North and Birnkrant Residence Hall
*West: Webb and Fluor Tower
*South: Trojan Hall, Marks Hall, Marks Tower, and Pardee
*Parkside: Arts and Humanities, International Residence College, and Apartments
Descriptor Survey Respondents All UPC Undergraduates Difference
Gender
Female 66.5 49.6 16.9
Male 33.2 50.4 -17.2
Transgender 0.2 -- --
Ethnicity
White 49.2 35.6 13.6
Black 6.3 4.2 2.1
Hispanic or Latino/a 13.2 13.4 -0.2
Asian or Pacific Islander 39.5 22.2 17.3
American Indian, Alaskan
Native, or Native Hawaiian
1.8 0.1 1.7
Biracial or Multiracial 7.2 -- --
Other 4.9 10.8 -5.9
International 10.3 13.7 -3.4
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual 89.2 -- --
Gay/Lesbian 2.5 -- --
Bisexual 4.1 -- --
Unsure 4.1 -- --
Fraternity or Sorority 17.2
On Campus Housing
Campus residence hall 98.0 -- --
Fraternity or Sorority house 0.2 -- --
Other college/university housing 1.6 -- --
Parent/Guardian’s home 0.2 -- --
Campus Residence Hall
*North 24.9 -- --
*West 14.1 -- --
*South 25.8 -- --
*Parkside 35.3 -- --
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6. General Alcohol Consumption Statistics
Question: Within the last 30 days, on how many days did you use Alcohol (beer, wine, liquor)?
General Alcohol Consumption vs. Living Location
Living Location * Alcohol Consumption Crosstabulation
Alcohol Consumption
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days: non
drinker
Never used:
abstainer
Living Location North Count 19 26 58 10 25 138
Expected Count 25.8 16.6 39.7 21.1 34.7 138.0
Parkside Count 40 17 44 32 63 196
Expected Count 36.7 23.6 56.4 30.0 49.4 196.0
South Count 32 16 38 27 31 144
Expected Count 26.9 17.4 41.4 22.0 36.3 144.0
West Count 13 8 20 16 21 78
Expected Count 14.6 9.4 22.4 11.9 19.6 78.0
Total Count 104 67 160 85 140 556
Expected Count 104.0 67.0 160.0 85.0 140.0 556.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 38.240
a
12 .000
Likelihood Ratio 38.228 12 .000
N of Valid Cases 556
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 9.40.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.000. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with general alcohol
consumption and living location. The significant value means that the difference in drinking behavior
across the living locations is not due to chance. Looking at the data more closely, we see that more
students than expected living in the North side of campus drank more than 3-9 days in the last 30
days. Also, more students than expected living in the North side of campus drank 10 or more days.
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7. General Alcohol Consumption vs. International Status
International student * Alcohol Consumption Crosstabulation
Alcohol Consumption
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days: non
drinker
Never used:
abstainer
International student No Count 93 58 149 70 128 498
Expected Count 93.3 60.1 143.6 76.3 124.7 498.0
Yes Count 11 9 11 15 11 57
Expected Count 10.7 6.9 16.4 8.7 14.3 57.0
Total Count 104 67 160 85 139 555
Expected Count 104.0 67.0 160.0 85.0 139.0 555.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 8.596
a
4 .072
Likelihood Ratio 8.049 4 .090
N of Valid Cases 555
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 6.88.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.072. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is no statistically significant association with general alcohol
consumption and international status. The non-significant value means that the difference in drinking
behavior in international and domestic students is due to chance.
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8. General Alcohol Consumption vs. Ethnicity
Crosstab
Alcohol Consumption
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days: non
drinker
Never used:
abstainer
Race/Ethnicity-White NO Count 64 22 56 57 84 283
Expected Count 52.9 34.1 81.4 43.3 71.3 283.0
WHITE Count 40 45 104 28 56 273
Expected Count 51.1 32.9 78.6 41.7 68.7 273.0
Total Count 104 67 160 85 140 556
Expected Count 104.0 67.0 160.0 85.0 140.0 556.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 43.162
a
4 .000
Likelihood Ratio 43.825 4 .000
N of Valid Cases 556
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 32.90.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.000. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with general alcohol
consumption and students that are white. The significant value means that the difference in drinking
behavior between non-white students and white students is not due to chance. Looking at the data
more closely, we see that white students drank more than expected in the 3-9 days category. Also,
more white students than expected drank 10 or more days.
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9. At Risk Drinking Statistics
Question: Over the last two weeks, how many times have you had five or more drinks of alcohol at a
sitting?
At Risk Drinking vs. Living Location
Living Location * At Risk Drinking Crosstabulation
At Risk Drinking
Total
More than 1
time
N/A, don't drink:
abstainer
None: non
drinker
Living Location North Count 65 28 46 139
Expected Count 47.4 40.7 50.9 139.0
Parkside Count 54 71 71 196
Expected Count 66.9 57.4 71.8 196.0
South Count 45 38 61 144
Expected Count 49.1 42.1 52.7 144.0
West Count 26 26 26 78
Expected Count 26.6 22.8 28.6 78.0
Total Count 190 163 204 557
Expected Count 190.0 163.0 204.0 557.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 19.405
a
6 .004
Likelihood Ratio 19.122 6 .004
N of Valid Cases 557
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 22.83.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.004. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with at risk drinking and
living location. The significant value means that the difference in drinking at risk drinking behavior across
the living locations is not due to chance. Looking at the data more closely, we see that more students
than expected living in the North side of campus engaged in at risk drinking 1 or more times.
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10. At Risk Drinking vs. International Status
International student * At Risk Drinking Crosstabulation
At Risk Drinking
Total
More than 1
time
N/A, don't drink:
abstainer
None: non
drinker
International student No Count 167 144 188 499
Expected Count 170.5 146.3 182.2 499.0
Yes Count 23 19 15 57
Expected Count 19.5 16.7 20.8 57.0
Total Count 190 163 203 556
Expected Count 190.0 163.0 203.0 556.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 2.867
a
2 .238
Likelihood Ratio 2.994 2 .224
N of Valid Cases 556
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 16.71.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.238. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is no statistically significant association with at risk drinking
behavior and international status. The non-significant value means that the difference in at risk drinking
behavior in international and domestic students is due to chance.
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11. At Risk Drinking vs. Ethnicity
Crosstab
At Risk Drinking
Total
More than 1
time
N/A, don't drink:
abstainer
None: non
drinker
Race/Ethnicity-White NO Count 77 99 107 283
Expected Count 96.5 82.8 103.6 283.0
WHITE Count 113 64 97 274
Expected Count 93.5 80.2 100.4 274.0
Total Count 190 163 204 557
Expected Count 190.0 163.0 204.0 557.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 14.685
a
2 .001
Likelihood Ratio 14.782 2 .001
N of Valid Cases 557
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 80.18.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.001. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with at risk drinking and
students that are white. The significant value means that the difference in at risk drinking behavior
between non-white students and white students is not due to chance. Looking at the data more closely,
we see that white students drank more than expected in the 1 or more times at risk drinking category.
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12. Marijuana Use Statistics
Question: Within the last 30 days, on how many days did you use Marijuana (pot, weed, hashish oil,
hash oil)?
Marijuana Use vs. Living Location
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 21.984
a
12 .038
Likelihood Ratio 22.785 12 .030
N of Valid Cases 555
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 5.90.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.038. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with marijuana use and
living location. The significant value means that the difference in marijuana use across the living
locations is not due to chance. Looking at the data more closely, we see that more students than
expected living in North and South use Marijuana 1-9 days. Also, more students than expected living
in North used Marijuana 10 or more days.
Living Location * Marijuana Use Crosstabulation
Marijuana Use
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days Never used
Living Location North Count 16 17 17 21 67 138
Expected Count 14.4 10.4 12.9 18.6 81.6 138.0
Parkside Count 16 8 15 28 129 196
Expected Count 20.5 14.8 18.4 26.5 115.8 196.0
South Count 18 11 17 19 78 143
Expected Count 14.9 10.8 13.4 19.3 84.5 143.0
West Count 8 6 3 7 54 78
Expected Count 8.2 5.9 7.3 10.5 46.1 78.0
Total Count 58 42 52 75 328 555
Expected Count 58.0 42.0 52.0 75.0 328.0 555.0
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13. Marijuana Use vs. International Status
International student * Marijuana Use Crosstabulation
Marijuana Use
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days Never used
International student No Count 54 35 48 72 288 497
Expected Count 52.0 37.7 46.6 67.3 293.4 497.0
Yes Count 4 7 4 3 39 57
Expected Count 6.0 4.3 5.4 7.7 33.6 57.0
Total Count 58 42 52 75 327 554
Expected Count 58.0 42.0 52.0 75.0 327.0 554.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 7.118
a
4 .130
Likelihood Ratio 7.808 4 .099
N of Valid Cases 554
a. 1 cells (10.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 4.32.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.130. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is no statistically significant association with marijuana use and
international status. The non-significant value means that the difference in marijuana use in
international and domestic students is due to chance.
13

14. Marijuana Use vs. Gender
Gender * Marijuana Use Crosstabulation
Marijuana Use
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days Never used
Gender Female Count 43 15 28 54 229 369
Expected Count 38.6 28.0 34.6 50.0 217.8 369.0
Male Count 15 27 24 21 97 184
Expected Count 19.3 13.9 17.3 24.9 108.6 184.0
Transgender Count 0 0 0 0 1 1
Expected Count .1 .1 .1 .1 .6 1.0
Total Count 58 42 52 75 327 554
Expected Count 58.0 42.0 52.0 75.0 327.0 554.0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 27.009
a
8 .001
Likelihood Ratio 25.882 8 .001
N of Valid Cases 554
a. 5 cells (33.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is .08.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.001. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with marijuana use and
gender. The significant value means that the difference in marijuana use across genders is not due to
chance. Looking at the data more closely, we see that more females than expected use Marijuana 1-2
days. However, more males than expected use marijuana between 3-9 days and 10 or more days.
14

15. Marijuana Use vs. Ethnicity
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 23.126
a
4 .000
Likelihood Ratio 23.330 4 .000
N of Valid Cases 555
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 20.66.
After running a Chi-Squared test, the Pearson Chi-Squared statistic resulted in a p-value of
0.000. At an alpha level of 0.05, there is a statistically significant association with marijuana use and
students that are white. The significant value means that the difference in marijuana use between non-
white students and white students is not due to chance. Looking at the data more closely, we see that
white students used marijuana more than expected in the 1-2 days category, 3-9 days category and 10
or more days category.
Crosstab
Marijuana Use
Total1-2 days 10 or more days 3-9 days
Have used, but
not in last 30
days Never used
Race/Ethnicity-White NO Count 23 17 22 26 194 282
Expected Count 29.5 21.3 26.4 38.1 166.7 282.0
WHITE Count 35 25 30 49 134 273
Expected Count 28.5 20.7 25.6 36.9 161.3 273.0
Total Count 58 42 52 75 328 555
Expected Count 58.0 42.0 52.0 75.0 328.0 555.0
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16. Health Behavior Frequencies Across Living Locations
Frequencies out of total sample size (%)
North South West Parkside
Stress
No stress 1.08 1.27 0.36 0.72
Less than average stress 1.80 1.80 1.27 2.71
Average stress 10.8 7.59 7.41 14.1
More than average stress 9.04 11.4 3.61 14.3
Tremendous stress 1.94 3.80 1.44 3.44
Days of enough sleep
0 days 3.07 2.53 1.08 4.87
1 day 3.25 3.97 2.71 4.69
2 days 5.60 5.78 2.17 5.42
3 days 4.15 5.23 2.89 6.50
4 days 3.61 4.51 2.71 6.68
5 days 2.53 2.53 1.99 1.99
6 days 1.99 0.72 0.36 3.61
7 days 0.72 0.54 0.18 1.44
Physical Activity Guidelines
Met 13.0 11.7 6.32 16.4
Not Met 11.9 14.1 7.76 18.8
Servings of Fruit and Vegetables/day
0 servings 0.18 1.27 0.54 3.43
1-2 servings 13.2 13.6 6.87 18.1
3-4 servings 9.22 8.68 5.97 10.8
5 or more servings 2.17 2.35 0.72 2.89
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17. Acknowledgements
This report would not have been possible without the contributions, dedication, and patience of the following
individuals:
Ainsley Carry, Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Paula Swinford, Director, Office for Wellness and Health Promotion
Eduardo Molina, Director, Institutional Research
Niki Hashemi, Intern, Office for Wellness and Health Promotion
A special thanks to the entire Wellness and Health Promotion staff and to all the students who sent in completed
surveys; your efforts help us to serve you better.
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