Changing University Students’ Alcohol Culture with a web-based intervention: Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Greve ◽  
Rune Vammen Lesner ◽  
Stefan Bastholm Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Personal Benefit ◽  
Drinking Culture ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND In most Western countries, excessive alcohol intake among university students is a cause of concern. The majority of students view drinking as a cornerstone of university life, and many find it difficult to go against the dominant drinking culture. While digital health interventions have been shown to reduce drinking among university students, no intervention has been aimed at changing the overall university drinking culture. This intervention provided the students with tools that helped them make pre-commitment strategies and change their views on the social norms that prevent excessive alcohol intake. OBJECTIVE Our objective is to evaluate the impact of an intervention aimed at reducing the excessive drinking culture among Danish university students. As a secondary outcome, we measured the impact of the intervention on two individual motivational factors for participating in the drinking culture at the university: alcohol consumption as both a personal benefit and a facilitator of socialization. METHODS To evaluate the impact of the intervention, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled experiment among university students at Aarhus University. The students were stratified by gender and self-reported binge drinking. Each student was assigned to either a control or an intervention group. A baseline questionnaire was sent to the participants when school started in September 2019, and a follow-up questionnaire was sent out two months later. The primary outcomes were measured with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (questions 1-3). To examine the mechanisms underlying the effect, we analyzed two motivational factors for participating in the drinking culture at the university: alcohol consumption as both and a personal benefit and a facilitator of socialization. RESULTS In total 961 students signed up, and 509 of them completed the follow-up questionnaire. Compared to the students in the control group, the students in the intervention group had a 15.8% (P<.001) reduction on their monthly level of alcohol intake two months after the intervention. The result is driven by a large effect on male and first-year students. The intervention had no effect on binge drinking, alcohol addiction, or severely harmful alcohol consumption. Our results also showed that while the students in the intervention group found it less difficult to say “no” to drinking there were no difference in the assessment of being part of the student environment between the students in the intervention and control Group. CONCLUSIONS The intervention had a significant and reducing impact on the students’ monthly alcohol intake. That the effect of the intervention was largest among the young and first-year students, who will be the responsible for the drinking culture at the University in the coming years, suggest that small nudging-based interventions can potentially have significant long-term beneficial effects. CLINICALTRIAL American Economic Association’s registry for randomized trials with RCT ID: AEARCTR-0004703. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/4703.

scholarly journals Finding the Right Balance: A Social Norms Intervention to Reduce Heavy Drinking in University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Wolter ◽  
Tino Lesener ◽  
Tobias Alexander Thomas ◽  
Alicia-Carolin Hentschel ◽  
Burkhard Gusy
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Alcohol Prevention ◽  
Normative Feedback ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: Heavy alcohol consumption constitutes a major health risk among University students. Social relationships with peers strongly affect University students' perception of the drinking behavior of others, which in turn plays a crucial role in determining their own alcohol intake. University students tend to overestimate their peers' alcohol consumption – a belief that is associated with an increase in an individual's own consumption. Therefore, we implemented a social norms intervention with personalized normative feedback at a major University in Germany to reduce and prevent excessive drinking among University students.Methods: Our intervention was part of a regular health monitoring survey. We invited all enrolled University students to take part in this survey on two occasions. A total of 862 University students completed the questionnaire, 563 (65.3%) of which received e-mail-based feedback upon request concerning their peers' and their own alcohol consumption. For the intervention group (n = 190) as well as the control group (no feedback requested; n = 101), we included only University students in the evaluation who overestimated their peers' alcohol use and indicated above average consumption of the peers. We applied analyses of variance to assess intervention effects with regard to the correction of overestimated group norms as well as University students' drinking behavior.Results: Within the intervention group, we observed a significantly larger reduction of the previously overestimated behavioral norms compared to the control group (p &lt; 0.001; ηp2 = 0.06). With regard to behavioral outcomes the intervention group showed a significantly larger reduction in the AUDIT-C score (p = 0.020; ηp2 = 0.03).Discussion: Our study confirms previous research whereupon personalized, gender-specific and selective normative feedback is effective for alcohol prevention among University students. However, University students still overestimated their peers' alcohol intake after the intervention. Furthermore, we did not reach high-risk groups (University students with the highest alcohol intake) since no feedback was requested. Future studies should address factors influencing the impact of the intervention and reachability of selective groups.

scholarly journals Controlled Study of the Impact of a Virtual Program to Reduce Stigma Among University Students Toward People With Mental Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas ◽  
Adolfo J. Cangas ◽  
Daniela Fuentes-Olavarría
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
University Students ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Global Score ◽  
Stigma Reduction ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Stigma toward mental disorders is one of today's most pressing global issues. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the barriers to social inclusion faced by individuals with mental disorders. Concurrently, stigma reduction interventions, especially those aimed at university students, have been more difficult to implement given social distancing and campus closures. As a result, alternative delivery for programs contributing to stigma reduction is required, such as online implementation. This paper reports the results of a controlled study focused on an online multi-component program on reducing stigma toward mental illness that included project-based learning, clinical simulations with standardized patients and E-Contact with real patients. A total of 40 undergraduate students from the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile, participated in the study. They were randomly divided between an intervention and control group. The intervention group participated in the online multi-component program, while the control group participated in an online educational program on cardiovascular health. We assessed the impact of the program by using the validated Spanish-language versions of the Attribution Questionnaire AQ-27 and the Questionnaire on Student Attitudes toward Schizophrenia with both groups, before and after the intervention. In addition, an ad hoc Likert scale ranging from 0 to 5 was used with the intervention group in order to assess the learning strategies implemented. Following the intervention, the participants belonging to the intervention group displayed significantly lower levels of stereotypes, perception of dangerousness, and global score toward people with schizophrenia (p &lt; 0.001). In addition, participants presented lower levels of dangerousness-fear, avoidance, coercion, lack of solidarity, and global score (p &lt; 0.001). The control group displayed no statistically significant differences in the level of stigma before and after the evaluation, for all of the items assessed. Finally, the overall assessment of each of the components of the program was highly positive. In conclusion, the study shows that online programs can contribute to reducing stigma toward mental disorders. The program assessed in this study had a positive impact on all the dimensions of stigma and all of the components of the program itself were positively evaluated by the participants.

scholarly journals Substantiation of the Impact of Fitball Gymnastics and Fitness Yoga Activities on the Health Level of University Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 206-213
Author(s):  
E.K. Gilfanova ◽  
T.B. Gorbatenko ◽  
O.Yu. Sharova
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Recreational Facilities ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Health Level ◽  
Pedagogical Research ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the possibility of using non-traditional recreational facilities in the educational process with university students. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the developed methodology for fitball gymnastics and fitness yoga on the health level of students. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: theoretically substantiate the proposed methodology of classes; identify and conduct a comparative analysis of adaptive potential according to the method of R.M. Baevsky and the level of the functional state of first-year students during an experimental study. Scientific novelty lies in the expansion of theoretical and practical approaches to physical education at the university. The positive impact of the proposed teaching methods on the level of functional readiness of first-year students is substantiated and experimentally proved. To improve the methodology, a set of methods was used: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, the method of pedagogical research, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics.

scholarly journals The Impact of a Web-Based Mindfulness, Nutrition and Fitness Platform on the Health Status of First-Year University Students: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire F Trottier ◽  
Jessica RL Lieffers ◽  
Steven T Johnson ◽  
João F Mota ◽  
Roshni K Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
University Students ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND First-year university students are at increased risk for presenting with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and poor nutritional status. Self-care plays an essential role in optimizing mental health and can prevent/treat stress, anxiety and depression. Web-based self-monitoring of diet and physical activity can lead to similar or improved health outcomes compared to conventional methods. Such tools are also popular among university students. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this 12-week randomized control trial was to assess the impact of a web-based wellness platform on perceived stress among first-year university students. The study’s secondary outcome was to assess the effects of the platform on diet quality and exploratory outcomes were body composition, health related quality of life, mindfulness, mental wellbeing and physical activity. METHODS Ninety-seven first-year undergraduate students were randomized to either the intervention (n=48) or control (n=49) group. The intervention consisted of access to a web-based platform called My Viva Plan® (MVP) which aims to support healthy living on the topics of mindfulness, nutrition, and fitness. The platform is fully automated and is guided by principals of cognitive behavior theory. Participants in the intervention group were instructed to use MVP as frequently as possible over 12 weeks. The control group did not receive access to MVP. Perceived stress was assessed using the Stress Indicators Questionnaire at baseline, week 6 and week 12. Three day food records were used to analyze dietary intake at baseline and week 12. Health related quality of life, mindfulness, mental wellbeing and physical activity questionnaires were completed at baseline, week 6 and week 12 and body composition was assessed at baseline and week 12. Study assessments were completed in-person at baseline and week 12 and electronically at week 6. RESULTS Study recruitment started in August 2018 with batch enrollment for students registered in the fall (September 2018 to December 2018) and winter (January 2019 to April 2019) academic terms at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. Eighty participants completed the 12-week trial (n=35 in the intervention group; n=45 in the control group). All data collection ended in May 2019. CONCLUSIONS This project is the first to explore the impact of an online platform designed to promote health and wellness; it will also shed light into its applicability in first-year university students. If successful, this may become an important health care tool for preventative care in first year university students. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03579264

scholarly journals Confinement, Comfort and Health: Analysis of the Real Influence of Lockdown on University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5572
Author(s):  
Antonio Millán-Jiménez ◽  
Rafael Herrera-Limones ◽  
Álvaro López-Escamilla ◽  
Emma López-Rubio ◽  
Miguel Torres-García
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Good Relationship ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the population worldwide into lockdown. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this measure on the health and comfort of university students and the role that the characteristics of the home may have played. It is essential to differentiate between the terms comfort and health both from the medical and architectural perspectives, as there are differences between the two concepts that are, nonetheless, shared by both disciplines. An online survey was fulfilled by 188 medicine and architecture undergraduate students at the University of Seville, Spain. In terms of health, 89% suffered neuropsychiatric disorders (56% anxiety and 49% depression), 38% gained weight and 59% reported alcohol consumption. In relation to comfort, the majority rated their home positively, comfortable in terms of room temperature and noise at night, and they had a good relationship with cohabitants. However, those who did not have a balcony or terrace would have liked to have open spaces They would have also liked to increase the size of their bedroom, where they spent most of their time and where they studied. A built-up environment gave them a sense of being imprisoned, while those who enjoyed open spaces found a sense of peace. The absence of open spaces in the house, the environment and the impossibility of making the most frequently used spaces more flexible may have had negative impacts on the health and comfort of university students during confinement.

scholarly journals A Text Message�Based Intervention Targeting Alcohol Consumption Among University Students: User Satisfaction and Acceptability Study (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Müssener ◽  
Kristin Thomas ◽  
Catharina Linderoth ◽  
Matti Leijon ◽  
Marcus Bendtsen
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Drinking Habits ◽  
Randomized Controlled

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)

scholarly journals Promoting Sustainable Mobility: Impact of an Urban Biking Programme on University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12546
Author(s):  
Milena Adaros-Boye ◽  
Daniel Duclos-Bastías ◽  
Frano Giakoni-Ramírez ◽  
Luis Espinoza-Oteiza ◽  
Carolina Cid-Robles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Activity Time ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Intervention Programme ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Urban Intervention ◽  
Mode Of Transport ◽  
The University

The use of bicycles is an active and sustainable mode of transport par excellence. It is a way of increasing people’s physical activity time and should therefore be promoted in educational contexts. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an urban bicycle programme in a sample of 164 university students (n = 164), 88 women and 76 men, using a standardised instrument with pre and post measures after a theoretical–practical intervention. The sample was divided into an intervention group (n = 122) with 69 women and 53 men; and a control group (n = 42) with 19 women and 23 men. The instrument considered conceptual and attitudinal aspects. The results showed that participants in the intervention group obtained statistically significant improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in the measurement. No significant improvements were observed in the control group (p = 0.35), which means that the urban intervention programme is an effective method for increasing bicycling knowledge and attitudes in the university students who participated in the experience.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Impact of the Values Education Class Over the University Students’ Levels of Acquisition of Moral Maturity and Human Values

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Yunus AKAN
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Values Education ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Moral Maturity ◽  
Education Class ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to analyze the impact of the “Curriculum of Values Education” over the university students’ levels of acquisition of moral maturity and human values. This study was planned as a quasi-experimental design, defined as the “Pretest/Post-test Control Group Design”. The study group of the study consisted of 77 students, studying in the Child Development Program of the Department of Child Care and Youth Services at the Vocational School of Healthcare Services of Mus Alparslan University throughout the 2019-2020 academic year. The “Moral Maturity Scale” and “Human Values Scale” were employed as data collection tools. The curriculum was administered on the experimental group for 80-90 minutes in 1 session in the training classroom, at 15:00 on Mondays for 13 weeks. The independent samples t-Test and Two Way Anova for Repeated Measurements were utilized in order to analyze the data obtained from this study. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the “Curriculum of Values Education” increased the levels of acquisition of moral maturity and human values of the students in the study group. A literature-backed discussion was held in line with the results obtained, which was followed by several recommendations on the use of the crafted curriculum of values education by the academicians to teach the values education class.

scholarly journals First-Year Students’ Research Challenges: Does Watching Videos on Common Struggles affect Students’ Research Self-Efficacy?

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savannah L. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective – The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the impact of providing research struggle videos on first-year students’ research self-efficacy. The three-part video series explicated and briefly addressed common first-year roadblocks related to searching, evaluating, and caring about sources. The null hypothesis tested was that students would have similar research self-efficacy scores, regardless of exposure to the video series. Methods – The study was a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design. The population included all 22 sections (N = 359) of First-Year Writing affiliated with the FASTrack Learning Community at the University of Mississippi. Of 22 sections, 12 (N = 212) served as the intervention group exposed to the videos, while the other 10 (N = 147) served as the control group. A research self-efficacy pretest – posttest measure was administered to all students. In addition, all 22 sections, regardless of control or intervention status, received a face-to-face one-shot library instruction session. Results – As a whole, this study failed to reject the null hypothesis. Students exposed to the research struggle videos reported similar research self-efficacy scores as students who were not exposed to the videos. A significant difference, however, did exist between all students’ pretest and posttest scores, suggesting that something else, possibly the in-person library session, did have an impact on students’ research self-efficacy. Conclusion – Although students’ research self-efficacy may have increased due to the presence of an in-person library session, this current research was most interested in evaluating the effect of providing supplemental instruction via struggle videos for first-year students. As this was not substantiated, it is recommended that researchers review the findings and limitations of this current study in order to identify more effective approaches in providing instructional support for first-year students’ research struggles.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a Text Messaging�Based Intervention Targeting Alcohol Consumption Among University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Thomas ◽  
Ulrika Müssener ◽  
Catharina Linderoth ◽  
Nadine Karlsson ◽  
Preben Bendtsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Excessive Drinking ◽  
Secondary Outcomes ◽  
Text Message Intervention

BACKGROUND Excessive drinking among university students is a global challenge, leading to significant health risks. However, heavy drinking among students is widely accepted and socially normalized. Mobile phone interventions have attempted to reach students who engage in excessive drinking. A growing number of studies suggest that text message–based interventions could potentially reach many students and, if effective, such an intervention might help reduce heavy drinking in the student community. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of a behavior change theory–based 6-week text message intervention among university students. METHODS This study was a two-arm, randomized controlled trial with an intervention group receiving a 6-week text message intervention and a control group that was referred to treatment as usual at the local student health care center. Outcome measures were collected at baseline and at 3 months after the initial invitation to participate in the intervention. The primary outcome was total weekly alcohol consumption. Secondary outcomes were frequency of heavy episodic drinking, highest estimated blood alcohol concentration, and number of negative consequences attributable to excessive drinking. RESULTS A total of 896 students were randomized to either the intervention or control group. The primary outcome analysis included 92.0% of the participants in the intervention group and 90.1% of the control group. At follow-up, total weekly alcohol consumption decreased in both groups, but no significant between-group difference was seen. Data on the secondary outcomes included 49.1% of the participants in the intervention group and 41.3% of the control group. No significant between-group difference was seen for any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The present study was under-powered, which could partly explain the lack of significance. However, the intervention, although theory-based, needs to be re-assessed and refined to better support the target group. Apart from establishing which content forms an effective intervention, the optimal length of an alcohol intervention targeting students also needs to be addressed in future studies. CLINICALTRIAL International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN95054707; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN95054707 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70Ax4vXhd)

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