Oregon Balance Project

couple firting at a barIf you have sex and you drink, you can participate in Oregon Balance. You’ll receive a free and private consultation, and a $25 gift card for your time.

If you are a student at University of Oregon or Western Oregon University, please visit or contact your student health center for details.

You can also find out how to participate
by e-mailing:
Lyn Blackshaw or
Lesa Dixon-Gray
Or at WOU leave a message at: 503-838-8840
• Download the screening form for Oregon Balance a row of drinks and condoms

Description Of Oregon Balance

Oregon BALANCE is a Public Health practice based on research, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and implemented by the State Public Health Office in partnership with the University Health Center at the University of Oregon and Western Oregon University.
BALANCE stands for Birth Control And ALcohol Awareness: Negotiating Choices Effectively”. It is a motivational counseling interview that focuses on women who are possibly risky drinkers, and who could also be at risk for having an alcohol effected pregnancy.

Level of Drinking in College

We are interested in the college population because of the admitted high use of alcohol. In a study of 10,904 students at 119 colleges and universities conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, (Wechsler et al., 2002), 40 per cent of women students reported drinking 4 or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks; four fifths of sorority and fraternity members met the criteria for binge drinking, i.e. 8 drinks in a week, 5 in a day. Female students in their first year of college had a higher probability of adopting binge drinking than men.

Ineffective use of Birth Control

In a study that asked college women the reason seeking pregnancy testing at a student health clinic, 37 per cent had not used any type of contraception at the time of their possible pregnancy (Sawyer, Pinciaro and Anderson Sawyer 1998)

Risks of Alcohol Affected Pregnancy

In a study of 2,012 sexually active university women, (Ceperich, Ingersoll, 2004), found that 74% of the women were risky drinkers and that a significant minority (21 percent) used contraceptives ineffectively or not at all. Their combined risk for alcohol effected pregnancy was 17 percent of those who reported being sexually active.

This brief Motivational Interviewing protocol was originally developed in a study with women students who asked for emergency contraception during a 3.5 year period at a large student health center, (Ingersoll et al., 2005). In that study 228 college women between 18-24 were considered at risk for an alcohol affected pregnancy. One month after participating in a BALANCE interview, 25% of the 212 women contacted decreased drinking by 2.2 drinks per day. Also 64% of them reported effective contraceptive use.
Oregon BALANCE interview is cleared by the University IRBs, CDC Research Review and the State review committee as public health practice, not research. Three Oregon BALANCE interviewers, with Counseling Masters, will be supervised by a Motivational Interviewer Trainer and the state office and be accountable to University Health Center staff.

The intervention consists of:

  1. A short screening questionnaire.
  2. A phone call, if the woman gives permission, to schedule an Oregon BALANCE interview
    or refer her to other resources if needed and requested.
  3. A Motivational Interview that lasts between 60-90 minutes.
  4. A brief follow-up phone call or e-mail after one month..
  5. A final face-to face interview that lasts about 20 minutes.

At completion of that she will be given a $25 gift card in acknowledgement of her time and efforts. Responses to one set of questions will be coded so that data can be analyzed. Only anonymous group data will be seen by anyone beyond the four members of the State FAS program.

Oregon BALANCE is based on the following research studies.

Ceperich, S. D., Ingersoll, K. S. et al. (2004). College women at risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Poster at A.P.A. Convention, July 2005, HI.

Ingersoll, K. S., Ceperich, S. D., et al. (2005). Reducing alcohol-exposed pregnancy risk in college women: Initial outcomes of a clinical trial of a motivational intervention. J.of Substance Abuse Treatment, 29., 173-180.

Sawyer, R. G., Pinciaro, P.J. & Anderson-Sawyer, A. (1998) Pregnancy testing and counseling: A university health center’s 5-year experience. Journal of American College Health, 46, 221-225.

Wechsler, H., et al. (1994). Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college. A national survey of 140 campuses. Journal of the American Medical Association, 272, 1672-1677.

If you’re interested in knowing more or in participating in Oregon BALANCE scroll up to the four screening questions or check out the rest of the “Don’t Open This” website at www.dontopenthis.org.