Links between excessive alcohol consumption and sport are to be investigated by university staff.
Edge Hill University is co-funding a unique PhD with Alcohol Research UK, the only UK charity dedicated to reducing alcohol-related harm.
Student Jin Zhou, supervised by recently appointed psychology Professor, Derek Heim, is looking at the link between alcohol consumption and sporting identities.
Prof Heim said: “Research consistently indicates that people who participate in, or follow, sport consume alcohol more frequently than their non-sporting peers.
“The UK has one of the worst records for binge drinking in Europe, particularly among those aged 18-24.”
He added: “Within this group, university students are more prone to excessive drinking and, if you break it down further, research consistently points to more hazardous drinking among sporting than non-sporting students.”
The three-year project will explore the reasons behind the links and it will also consider possible positive influences that alcohol can have on group behaviour.
It will also looking at how alcohol consumption changes over time.
Comments