scholarly journals Assessment of the Efficacy of a Mobile Phone–Delivered Just-in-Time Planning Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Use in Adolescents: Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Severin Haug ◽  
Raquel Paz Castro ◽  
Urte Scholz ◽  
Tobias Kowatsch ◽  
Michael Patrick Schaub ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Interventions to reduce alcohol use typically include several elements, such as information on the risks of alcohol consumption, planning for sensible drinking, and training of protective behavioral strategies. However, the effectiveness of these individual intervention elements within comprehensive programs has not been addressed so far, but it could provide valuable insights for the development of future interventions. Just-in-time interventions provided via mobile devices are intended to help people make healthy decisions in the moment and thus could influence health behavior. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the proximal effects of a mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time planning intervention to reduce alcohol use in adolescents who reported recent binge drinking. The efficacy of this individual intervention element was tested within a comprehensive intervention program to reduce problem drinking in adolescents. METHODS The study had an AB/BA crossover design, in which participants were randomly allocated to (1) a group receiving the planning intervention (A) in period 1 and assessment only (B) in period 2 or (2) a group receiving assessment only (B) in period 1 and the planning intervention (A) in period 2. The planning intervention included a text message to choose one of two predetermined if-then plans to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out and a prompt to visualize the chosen plan. There was a washout period of at least 1 week between period 1 and period 2. RESULTS Out of 633 program participants who recently binge drank, 136 (21.5%) were receptive in both periods of time and provided data on the proximal outcome, which was the number of alcoholic drinks consumed with friends or when going out. After the planning intervention, the number of alcoholic drinks consumed was approximately one standard drink lower compared with the finding without the intervention (P=.01). CONCLUSIONS A mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time, if-then planning intervention to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out is effective in reducing alcohol consumption among adolescents who report recent binge drinking. Based on the relatively low percentage of participants with self-reported receptivity for the planning intervention, measures to increase the population impact of similar planning interventions should be implemented and tested in future trials. CLINICALTRIAL ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN52150713; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN52150713

10.2196/16937 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e16937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Severin Haug ◽  
Raquel Paz Castro ◽  
Urte Scholz ◽  
Tobias Kowatsch ◽  
Michael Patrick Schaub ◽  
...  

Background Interventions to reduce alcohol use typically include several elements, such as information on the risks of alcohol consumption, planning for sensible drinking, and training of protective behavioral strategies. However, the effectiveness of these individual intervention elements within comprehensive programs has not been addressed so far, but it could provide valuable insights for the development of future interventions. Just-in-time interventions provided via mobile devices are intended to help people make healthy decisions in the moment and thus could influence health behavior. Objective The aim of this study was to test the proximal effects of a mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time planning intervention to reduce alcohol use in adolescents who reported recent binge drinking. The efficacy of this individual intervention element was tested within a comprehensive intervention program to reduce problem drinking in adolescents. Methods The study had an AB/BA crossover design, in which participants were randomly allocated to (1) a group receiving the planning intervention (A) in period 1 and assessment only (B) in period 2 or (2) a group receiving assessment only (B) in period 1 and the planning intervention (A) in period 2. The planning intervention included a text message to choose one of two predetermined if-then plans to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out and a prompt to visualize the chosen plan. There was a washout period of at least 1 week between period 1 and period 2. Results Out of 633 program participants who recently binge drank, 136 (21.5%) were receptive in both periods of time and provided data on the proximal outcome, which was the number of alcoholic drinks consumed with friends or when going out. After the planning intervention, the number of alcoholic drinks consumed was approximately one standard drink lower compared with the finding without the intervention (P=.01). Conclusions A mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time, if-then planning intervention to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out is effective in reducing alcohol consumption among adolescents who report recent binge drinking. Based on the relatively low percentage of participants with self-reported receptivity for the planning intervention, measures to increase the population impact of similar planning interventions should be implemented and tested in future trials. Trial Registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN52150713; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN52150713


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Yeon Kim ◽  
Hyewon Nam ◽  
Jeong-Ju Yoo ◽  
Yoon-Young Cho ◽  
Dug-Hyun Choi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study was performed to investigate the association between the amount of alcohol consumption or binge drinking and obesity-related comorbidities in Korean men. Methods A total of 103,048 men aged 19 years or older were investigated in the 2016 Korean Community Health Survey. The participants were divided into five groups according to the standard number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week. Results Of the total participants, 20.7% were in the high alcohol consumption group, consuming more than 28 drinks per week. After adjustment for clinical factors, high alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher odds ratios (ORs) of obesity (OR, 1.449; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.412 to 1.591; P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.636 to 1.894; P < 0.0001), and dyslipidemia (OR, 1.356; 95% CI, 1.247 to 1.474; P < 0.0001). In contrast, mild to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetes (OR, 0.799; 95% CI, 0.726 to 0.88; P = 0.0015) and high alcohol consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes (OR, 0.945; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.039; P = 0.0662). Among drinkers, except for social drinkers, binge drinking was significantly associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Conclusions High alcohol consumption was associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia in Korean men. In contrast, high consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes. In particular, binge drinkers were associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia compared to non-binge drinkers.


Author(s):  
Minkyung Kang ◽  
Ari Min ◽  
Haeyoung Min

Gender differences in alcohol use have narrowed over the decades. This study aimed to explore changes in alcohol consumption patterns between 2007 and 2016 to identify gender convergence in alcohol use in Korea. Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. For all respondents (41,662 girls/women and 32,041 boys/men) aged ≥12 years, lifetime drinking, current drinking, age of drinking onset, heavy alcohol use, and binge drinking were analyzed. Gender differences in heavy alcohol use and binge drinking decreased from 2007 to 2016 (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The prevalence of heavy alcohol use and binge drinking decreased in boys/men (67.5% to 63.9%, p = 0.001; 63.4% to 60.9%, p = 0.001, respectively), but not in girls/women (50.2% to 50.4%, p = 0.279; 30.6% to 32.0%, p = 0.994, respectively). The proportion of lifetime abstainers decreased among both girls/women (24.3% to 19.1%, p < 0.001) and boys/men (12.1% to 9.7%, p = 0.01). In girls/women, the mean age of drinking onset decreased (from 24.1 to 23.6 years, p = 0.017); however, in boys/men, significant changes were not observed (from 18.9 to 18.7 years, p = 0.307). Healthcare providers should be aware of the growing health risks resulting from increased unhealthy alcohol use in women and develop gender-specific preventive interventions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andriy V. Samokhvalov ◽  
Valerii S. Pidkorytov ◽  
Igor V. Linskiy ◽  
Oleksandr I. Minko ◽  
Oleksii O. Minko ◽  
...  

Ukraine, with a population of 46.2 million, is the second largest country in Europe, with an area of 603 700 km2. It is still recovering from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, following the Soviet stagnation era (since the mid-1960s) and perestroika (from 1986), as well as the 1998 Russian financial crisis and Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution. These events have resulted in high levels of socio-economic disparity, political instability and a degraded healthcare infrastructure. These issues, in addition to traditionally high levels of alcohol consumption, have made binge drinking and alcoholism, among other addictions, major problems in Ukrainian society (Voloshin et al, 2003).


Author(s):  
Margarida Vasconcelos ◽  
Alberto Crego ◽  
Rui Rodrigues ◽  
Natália Almeida-Antunes ◽  
Eduardo López-Caneda

To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 contagion, several countries ordered lockdowns amid the pandemic along with indications on social distancing. These social isolation measures could potentially bring alterations to healthy behavior, including to alcohol consumption. However, there is hardly any scientific evidence of the impact of such measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) among young adults, and how they relate to alcohol craving, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. We addressed these questions by conducting a longitudinal study with 146 Portuguese college students—regular binge drinkers (regular BDs), infrequent binge drinkers (infrequent BDs) and non-binge drinkers (non-BDs)—in three moments: before the pandemic (Pre-Lockdown), during lockdown (Lockdown) and 6 months after (Post-Lockdown). Results revealed that regular BDs decreased alcohol use during Lockdown, a change in behavior that was even greater during Post-Lockdown, when regular BDs displayed similar levels of consumption to infrequent/non-BDs. Additionally, alcohol craving and living with friends were predictive of alcohol use during Lockdown, whereas stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms did not contribute to explain changes in drinking behavior. Collectively, the results suggest that BD in young Portuguese college students can be stopped when the contexts in which alcohol intake usually takes place are suppressed, which may have important implications for future prevention and intervention strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Demant ◽  
B Saliba

Abstract Background Sexual Minority Young People (SMYP) use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs at disproportionate levels when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Limited research has been conducted on dependency symptoms in this population as well as correlations between risky use of alcohol and minority stress including potential differences between identity subgroups. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 1,556 SMYPs (mean age: 22.6 years) from Australia. Variables include demographics, alcohol use, dependency symptoms and different dimensions of minority stress. Descriptive and correlational analyses, and binary logistic regressions were conducted. Results Most participants surveyed identified as gay or lesbian (59%) and as men (55%). Regular binge drinking (43%), as well as general high-risk alcohol use (52%), was prevalent in the sample. Dependency symptoms were also common in the sample including health, social, legal or financial problems as a result of alcohol consumption (17%). Meaningful differences in consumption and symptoms between subgroups were identified. Minority stress, including negative family reactions and homophobic harassment were significantly correlated with higher alcohol use and dependency symptoms. Conclusions High-risk alcohol consumption including binge drinking as well as dependency symptoms are highly prevalent in Australian SMYP but are not distributed equally across subgroups. Public health initiatives should consider targeting SMYP subgroups and concentrate on the role of alcohol as a potential maladaptive coping mechanism for minority stress. Key messages Risky alcohol consumption and dependency symptoms common in sexual minority young people but not equally distributed in subgroups. Minority stress likely to be linked to risky alcohol consumption and dependency symptoms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 639-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan K Noel

Abstract Aims Alcohol-attributable harm remains high worldwide, and alcohol use among adolescents is particularly concerning. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of national alcohol control policies on adolescent alcohol use in low-, middle- and high-income countries and improve on previous cross-national attempts to estimate the impact of alcohol policy on this population. Methods Data on adolescent (n = 277,110) alcohol consumption from 84 countries were pooled from the Global School-based Health Survey and the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Alcohol use measures included lifetime alcohol use, current (past 30 days) alcohol use and current (past 30 days) binge drinking. Information on national alcohol control policies was obtained from the World Health Organization’s Global Information System on Alcohol and Health and scored for effectiveness. Main effects were estimated using two-level, random intercept hierarchical linear models, and the models were adjusted for sex and age of the participants, and pattern of drinking score, gross domestic product based on purchasing power parity and study at the country level. Results Availability (OR [95% CI] = 0.991 [0.983, 0.999]), marketing (OR [95% CI] = 0.994 [0.988, 1.000]) and pricing (OR [95% CI] = 0.955 [0.918, 0.993]) policies were inversely associated with lifetime drinking status. Pricing policies were also inversely associated with current binge drinking status among current drinkers (OR [95% CI] = 0.939 [0.894, 0.986]). There were no associations between the included alcohol policies and current drinking status. Conclusions Strong availability, marketing and pricing policies can significantly and practically impact adolescent alcohol consumption.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-393
Author(s):  
Yuri A. Amirkhanian ◽  
Jeffrey A. Kelly ◽  
Sergey S. Tarima ◽  
Anna V. Kuznetsova ◽  
Wayne J. DiFranceisco ◽  
...  

Russia has over 1.2 million HIV infections and Europe's highest HIV incidence. Although its HIV epidemic is intertwined with high alcohol consumption rates, the interaction between alcohol use and HIV care in Russia is understudied. Five hundred eighty-six HIV-positive persons were recruited using social network methods in St. Petersburg. Fifty-nine percent of males, and 45% of females, drank regularly. Thirty percent of alcohol users reported binge drinking (males: ≥ 5 drinks; females ≥ 4 drinks) in the past week. Alcohol use was associated with lower HIV care engagement and having a detectable viral load. Multivariate analyses showed that any alcohol consumption, number of alcohol drinks consumed, and having a binge drinking day in the past week were associated with male gender, use of illicit drugs, drug injection, smaller social network size, lower social supports, being unmarried, and reporting condomless intercourse with non-main partners. Interventions to improve HIV care in Russia must comprehensively address the use of alcohol and substances that interfere with care engagement.


Author(s):  
Marisa Patrizia Messina ◽  
Alessio D'Angelo ◽  
Rosaria Ciccarelli ◽  
Fabiola Pisciotta ◽  
Luigi Tramonte ◽  
...  

Objective: Alcohol affects many human systems and is involved in the pathogenesis of other diseases. Particular attention must be paid to alcohol consumption among young people. It has been shown that 25% of young people’s deaths are attributable to alcohol, and around 35 million people aged over 11 had consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in 2015. Study Design: Young people aged 18–24 were the most vulnerable to binge drinking in Italy, and 50.6% of teenagers drunk alcohol. Only a few studies in the literature have investigated those habits in university students. This study aims to examine alcohol use habits in a population of university students in Italy. Methods: Between 2018 and 2019, an anonymous online questionnaire was randomly sent to university students from 17 different universities in a network of research centres to study alcohol use disorders. The survey included socio-demographic information, questions about alcohol use, knowledge about alcohol consumption, and related risks. Used questionnaires were the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and the Drinking Motive Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R). Results: the AUDIT-C revealed that 53.3% of students were high-risk drinkers. Regarding binge drinking habits, 13.1% of students admitted to binge drinking behavior at least once a month. In our sample, male students are more likely to be low-risk drinkers than female peers (p < 0.008). Students from northern Italy are more likely to be high-risk drinkers (p = 0.003). Beer (65.9%) and wine (60.9%) were the most consumed alcoholic beverages. The most common places to drink alcohol were pubs (85.5%). The most likely motivations to drink alcohol were enhancement (40.43%), social (38.39%), coping (15.63%), and social pressure or conformity (5.55%). Only 43.8% of participants reported having attended an educational course on alcohol. Conclusions: University students were not fully aware of the implications of alcohol misuse and will be part of the adult society as critical figures and future leaders. It is imperative to inform students about alcohol consumption risks and investigate the motivations to drink. Stress, anxiety, and social pressure are only a few issues young people are exposed to. Special attention must be paid to young people and their coping strategies that involve substance abuse by using educative, preventive, and motivational approaches.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document