Student NameJulia Johnston
Faculty Mentor NameMichael Moorhouse
CollegeCollege of Public Health and Health Professions
MajorBachelor of Science of Health Science
MinorDisabilities in Society, Public Health
Research InterestsPublic Health
Academic AwardsCollege of Public Health and Health Professions Honors Program
OrganizationsLEAP Undergraduate Mentorship Program, Health Science Student Organization, Inclusive Fitness and Unified Sports
Hobbies and InterestsInterest in Medical Device Manufacturing, Running, Reading

Research Project

Using the Rasch Model to Examine the Psychometric Properties of a New Hazardous Drinking Measure for Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this study is to develop a new measure of college drinking to better separate students into several risk categories. Using an existing item bank that was developed during the Spring 2019 semester, the research team will collect data from undergraduate college students. Then, using Rasch Analysis, the research team will examine various psychometric properties such as person and item fit statistics, rating scale analysis, person separation, and person reliability statistics. Following the psychometric analysis, the team will attempt to validate the new measure. The team will do this by comparing the sensitivity and specificity of the new measure to the gold standard measure, as it relates to the success of accurately identifying hazardous college drinkers. Despite the development of prevention and intervention strategies, risky alcohol use continues, and alcohol-related mortality and morbidity rates persist. That being said, the research team hopes that by establishing and validating a new measure, high-risk groups can be properly identified and targeted for appropriate intervention.