Background/Purpose The object of the Choking Game is to stop blood flow to the brain in an attempt to get a 'high” or “floaty” sensation. Since 2005, over 591 individuals have died in the US from playing. However, one recent study found that only 33% of American doctors had heard of the choking game and 2% had discussed it with patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness and knowledge about the choking game among college students.
Method Participants (n=627) responded to the 32-item Knowledge of Risks Associated with the Choking Game survey. The survey contains 23 True/False questions, four questions related to awareness of the game, and five demographic questions. Content questions were graded to render an overall knowledge score.
Analysis/Results Interestingly, 60% of the participants had heard of the choking game. Of those, 26% indicated that they had been asked or pressured to participate in the game. Only 4% had discussed the game with their health care provider and 11% had received education materials about the game. “School” was the most commonly cited source of education material (16%). A significant difference was found in knowledge between those who had heard of the game (M=17.04, SD=2.78) and those who had not (M=15.88, SD=3.28), F (1,622)=22.36, p= 000. Additionally, females scored significantly higher (M=17.00, SD=2.62) when compared to males (M=16.22, SD=3.36), F (1,620)=10.33, p=.001.
Conclusions Efforts should be directed toward educating not only high school and college students but also health care providers about the dangers of the choking game.
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