In a study of 119 college campuses nationwide, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Saint Joseph's University, and the University of Arizona found that women from colleges with medium and high binge-drinking rates were nearly twice as likely to be raped while intoxicated than those from schools with low binge-drinking rates.

Furthermore, of the college women who reported being raped since the beginning of the school year, 72 percent were so intoxicated that they were unable to consent or refuse.

"This study reveals that a woman's chance of being raped is far more pronounced on campuses where the student body as a whole engages in a high rate of binge drinking and when individuals consume a large amount of alcohol," said Meichun Mohler-Kuo, Sc.D., lead author of the study and a research scientist at the College Alcohol Studies program at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mary Koss, Ph.D., professor of public health at the University of Arizona and a co-author of the study, added, "This study points to an urgent need for more alcohol-prevention programs on campuses, along with sexual-assault education. Men need education about what constitutes rape, and women should be better informed of strategies to avoid risky situations."

The study, "Correlates of Rape While Intoxicated in a National Sample of College Women," was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study's findings are published in the January 2004 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.

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