Skills Training via Smartphone App for University Students with Excessive Alcohol Consumption: a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Heavy consumption of alcohol among university students is a global problem, with excessive drinking being the social norm. Students can be a difficult target group to reach, and only a minority seek alcohol-related support. It is important to develop interventions that can reach university students in a way that does not further stretch the resources of the health services. Text messaging (short message service, SMS)–based interventions can enable continuous, real-time, cost-effective, brief support in a real-world setting, but there is a limited amount of evidence for effective interventions on alcohol consumption among young people based on text messaging. To address this, a text messaging–based alcohol consumption intervention, the Amadeus 3 intervention, was developed. OBJECTIVE This study explored self-reported changes in drinking habits in an intervention group and a control group. Additionally, user satisfaction among the intervention group and the experience of being allocated to a control group were explored. METHODS Students allocated to the intervention group (n=460) were asked about their drinking habits and offered the opportunity to give their opinion on the structure and content of the intervention. Students in the control group (n=436) were asked about their drinking habits and their experience in being allocated to the control group. Participants received an email containing an electronic link to a short questionnaire. Descriptive analyses of the distribution of the responses to the 12 questions for the intervention group and 5 questions for the control group were performed. RESULTS The response rate for the user feedback questionnaire of the intervention group was 38% (176/460) and of the control group was 30% (129/436). The variation in the content of the text messages from facts to motivational and practical advice was appreciated by 77% (135/176) participants, and 55% (97/176) found the number of messages per week to be adequate. Overall, 81% (142/176) participants stated that they had read all or nearly all the messages, and 52% (91/176) participants stated that they were drinking less, and increased awareness regarding negative consequences was expressed as the main reason for reduced alcohol consumption. Among the participants in the control group, 40% (52/129) stated that it did not matter that they had to wait for access to the intervention. Regarding actions taken while waiting for access, 48% (62/129) participants claimed that they continued to drink as before, whereas 35% (45/129) tried to reduce their consumption without any support. CONCLUSIONS Although the main randomized controlled trial was not able to detect a statistically significant effect of the intervention, most participants in this qualitative follow-up study stated that participation in the study helped them reflect upon their consumption, leading to altered drinking habits and reduced alcohol consumption. CLINICALTRIAL International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN95054707; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN95054707 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/705putNZT)

Download Full-text

Short message service (SMS)-based intervention targeting alcohol consumption among university students: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-017-1898-3 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kristin Thomas ◽

Marcus Bendtsen ◽

Catharina Linderoth ◽

Nadine Karlsson ◽

Preben Bendtsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

University Students ◽

Study Protocol ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Short Message ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Message Service

Download Full-text

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Mobile App (Drinks:Ration) and Personalized Text and Push Messaging to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in a Veteran Population: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19720 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Leightley ◽

Roberto J Rona ◽

James Shearer ◽

Charlotte Williamson ◽

Cerisse Gunasinghe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Combat Stress ◽

Randomized Controlled

BACKGROUND Alcohol misuse is higher in the UK Armed Forces than in the general population. Previous research has shown that interventions delivered via smartphones are efficacious in promoting self-monitoring of alcohol use, have utility in reducing alcohol consumption, and have a broad reach. OBJECTIVE This single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to assess the efficacy of a 28-day brief alcohol intervention delivered via a smartphone app (<i>Drinks</i>:Ration) in reducing weekly self-reported alcohol consumption between baseline and 3-month follow-up among veterans who drink at a hazardous or harmful level and receive or have received support for mental health symptoms in a clinical setting. METHODS In this two-arm, single-blinded RCT, a smartphone app that includes interactive features designed to enhance participants’ motivation and personalized messaging is compared with a smartphone app that provides only government guidance on alcohol consumption. The trial will be conducted in a veteran population that has sought help through Combat Stress, a UK veteran’s mental health charity. Recruitment, consent, and data collection will be carried out automatically through the <i>Drinks</i>:Ration platform. The primary outcome is the change in self-reported weekly alcohol consumption between baseline (day 0) and 3-month follow-up (day 84) as measured using the Time-Line Follow back for Alcohol Consumption. Secondary outcome measures include (1) change in the baseline to 3-month follow-up (day 84) Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test score and (2) change in the baseline to 3-month follow-up (day 84) World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF score to assess the quality of adjusted life years. Process evaluation measures include (1) app use and (2) usability ratings as measured by the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire. The primary and secondary outcomes will also be reassessed at the 6-month follow-up (day 168) to assess the longer-term benefits of the intervention, which will be reported as a secondary outcome. RESULTS The study will begin recruitment in October 2020 and is expected to require 12 months to complete. The study results will be published in 2022. CONCLUSIONS This study assesses whether a smartphone app is efficacious in reducing self-reported alcohol consumption in a veteran population that has sought help through Combat Stress using personalized messaging and interactive features. This innovative approach, if successful, may provide a means to deliver a low-cost health promotion program that has the potential to reach large groups, in particular those who are geographically dispersed, such as military personnel. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04494594; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04494594 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/19720

Download Full-text