Count It! Lock It! Drop It!: A Descriptive Analysis of the Intentions and Behaviors of College Students

Abstract

Prescription drug misuse is growing among college students. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 559 full-time college students begin non-medically using prescription pain relievers every day. Within the last 12 months, nearly 12% of college students reported using prescription medications prescribed to a different person. Count It! Lock It! Drop It! is an initiative of the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition in Coffee County, Tennessee that educates the public on how prescription drug misuse can be prevented by counting, locking, and disposing of unused or expired medication. In collaboration with Count It! Lock It! Drop It! developers, a multi-pronged campaign using printed flyers and posters, residence hall door hangers, residence hall advisor t-shirts, campus yard signs, as well as digital and social media was developed and implemented in fall 2017 at East Tennessee State University. The objectives of this study were to: 1) assess exposure to the Count It! Lock It! Drop It! campaign among college students; and 2) examine perceptions and behaviors concerning medication storage and disposal among college students. A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted in November-December of 2017. Study participants were recruited from a series of listservs and included students 18 years of age and older currently enrolled at the University (n=274). Study variables included if and how students were exposed to the campaign, if they possessed expired or unused medications, if they counted, locked, or disposed of medication, and the likelihood of completing these tasks. Descriptive analyses were conducted using SPSS, version 24. Students reported print materials such as flyers as the most common channel of exposure. Among students reporting unused or expired medications in their household, a small percentage locked medication in a secure location in the past 30 days (13.7%), with a smaller percentage counting medication in the past 30 days (4.8%). The most common method of disposal was to discard of medication in the household trash, while the least common was to give to a friend or family member. Only 7.7% donated medications at a live take-back event, while 23.1% donated at a permanent disposal location. Students’ intentions for counting, locking, and disposing of medications varied. More students strongly disagreed than agreed that counting medications would become part of a two-week routine. More students disagreed than agreed with placing medications in a secure location, but results were more evenly dispersed relative to those for counting medications. Students generally agreed with disposing of expired or unused medications. Overall, this study suggests printed materials are a good way to reach college students for the Count It! Lock It! Drop It! initiative, that students do not commonly count or secure medications, and that students do not agree that counting or securing medications will be part of their standard routine