Pre-Matriculation Characteristics And Health Risk Behaviors Among Freshmen In Two Civil And Service Themed Residential Living Learning Communities : A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Living learning communities (LLCs) are first-year residential programs that incorporate themes (e.g., wellness, academics) and build community between faculty/staff and students through learning experiences in and outside the classroom. Researchers have established the positive effects of LLCs on academic performance (Inkelas and associates, 2007; Zhao and Kuh, 2004), however, research on the health effects of LLCs is limited. Previous LLC research has focused on individual LLC effects without comparison to an appropriate control group. Additionally, many studies do not take into account the varying backgrounds of college students, which may also account for the differences in outcomes. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the LLC literature related to alcohol and sex risk behaviors while adding prescription amphetamine risk behaviors to the literature and strengthening the methodological rigor of LLC research. A sample of 113 first-year undergraduate LLC and non-LLC students was surveyed about health risk behaviors, motives and consequences. Results are consistent with previous literature and suggest that pre-matriculation characteristics better predict health risk behaviors, motives and consequences than LLC membership. These findings have important implications for screening tools which can be used to identify at-risk students for interventions or recruitment into LLCs.