scholarly journals Think-aloud testing of a novel safer drinking app for college students during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Gomez Smith ◽  
Nour Sami Alamiri ◽  
Grace Biegger ◽  
Christina Frederick ◽  
Jennifer P. Halbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Think Aloud ◽  
Risky Drinking ◽  
Student Drinking ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol Consumption ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Hazardous alcohol consumption, and binge drinking in particular, continues to be common among college students, posing the greatestrisk for their health and safety. Despite widespread exposure to evidence-based preventive interventions among U.S. undergraduates, only modest and temporary effects on risky drinking occur. Formative studies have demonstrated that students want a more engaging intervention tool for risky drinking that can be used “just in time.” OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to test the appeal, relevance, and perceived utility of a draft mobile app for safer student drinking. METHODS Undergraduate student participants tested the draft mobile app via an interactive online prototype with hot spots that responded to their taps to mimic app functionality. They narrated their impressions, navigation, and comments in a standardized Think-Aloud procedure. After each round of Think-aloud interviews, researchers debriefed the investigators and developers to discuss findings and brainstorm app modifications. RESULTS Data indicated that minor changes to the functionality and aesthetics would improve usability of the app. Student testers recommended tailoring the app to the needs of college students and to aspects of the local university’s drinking culture. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study will be synthesized with information gained from other formative work to determine the final app features. We will test the app in a pilot randomized trial to assess app usage and the impact of the app on college student drinking behavior over several months.

scholarly journals Drinking Behavior Among College Students: Interventions to Increase Mindfulness and Social Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna C Anderson ◽  
Antonio J. Gardner ◽  
Barry Hunt
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Risky Drinking ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Student Drinking ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Drinking Behaviors

The impacts of drinking behaviors are far-reaching, with college student drinking contributing to over 1,500 deaths and an estimated 696,000 assaults on college campuses each year (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2019). There are a variety of explanations to explain why college students engage in risky drinking behaviors. However, there is evidence to suggest that drinking and other substance use may be a result of complex psychological origins, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This paper reviews the literature available on ACEs among college students, how these experiences impact alcohol use among this population, and potential areas for intervention, including those with a focus on mindfulness and social capital.

scholarly journals Drinking Behavior Among College Students: Interventions to Increase Mindfulness and Social Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna C Anderson ◽  
Antonio J. Gardner ◽  
Barry Hunt
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Risky Drinking ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Student Drinking ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Drinking Behaviors

The impacts of drinking behaviors are far-reaching, with college student drinking contributing to over 1,500 deaths and an estimated 696,000 assaults on college campuses each year (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2019). There are a variety of explanations to explain why college students engage in risky drinking behaviors. However, there is evidence to suggest that drinking and other substance use may be a result of complex psychological origins, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This paper reviews the literature available on ACEs among college students, how these experiences impact alcohol use among this population, and potential areas for intervention, including those with a focus on mindfulness and social capital.

scholarly journals Mathematical Modeling of the Spread of Alcoholism Among Colombian College Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (32) ◽  
pp. 195-223
Author(s):  
Edgardo Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
College Students ◽  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Nonlinear Mathematical Model ◽  
Consumption Behavior ◽  
Existence And Stability ◽  
Drugs And Crime ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, we present a nonlinear mathematical model, describing the spread of high-risk alcohol consumption behavior among college students in Colombia. We proved the existence and stability of the alcohol-free and drinking state equilibrium by means of Lyapunov function and LaSalle’s invariance principle. Also, we apply optimal control to study the impact of a preventive measure on the spread of drinking behavior among college students. Finally, we use numerical simulations and available data provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Colombian Ministry of Justice to validate the obtained mathematical model.

Predicting College Student Drinking and Smoking Intentions With Cognitively Accessible Attitudes and Norms

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Rhodes ◽  
Bridget Potocki ◽  
Sarah Thomas
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Peer Norms ◽  
First Semester ◽  
First Year College ◽  
Student Drinking ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Cognitive Accessibility ◽  
First Year College Students

Understanding the factors that make college students more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes is key to developing effective interventions in order to reduce these behaviors. This study sought to understand entering college students’ intentions to engage in smoking and drinking behavior by examining the cognitive accessibility (ease of retrieval from memory) of attitudes and norms for drinking. A sample of 413 first-year college students living in on-campus residence halls participated in the study in the first 2 weeks of their first semester of college. Reaction time measures of attitudes and norms assessed the cognitive accessibility of these constructs. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted. Results indicated that the cognitive accessibility of both attitudes and peer injunctive norms predicted behavioral intentions to drink and smoke. Our findings indicate that when injunctive peer norms are accessible from memory, they are better predictors of drinking and smoking intentions than descriptive norms or injunctive family norms. Our work provides important guidance for interventions to reduce risky behavior in college students and suggests that emphasizing social costs of these behaviors may be a promising strategy.

Prototypes of drinkers and accessibility of injunctive norms predict college drinking

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Rhodes ◽  
Christopher Loiewski ◽  
Bridget Potocki ◽  
Rachel Ralston
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Self Report ◽  
First Year ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
First Year College ◽  
Student Drinking ◽  
First Year College Students

A self-report survey of first-year college students ( n = 421; 46% female) included measures of perceived prototype, attitude and injunctive norm accessibility, past drinking behavior, and future drinking intention. Both norm accessibility and prototype perception were significant predictors of intention to drink in the future among first-year college students. The effect of prototypes on drinking diminished as pro-drinking norms became more accessible, indicating greater automaticity of drinking decision-making. Theoretical models of drinking intention should include both normative constructs and prototypes. Implications for interventions to reduce college student drinking are discussed.

scholarly journals Do Mindfulness Meditation Apps Decrease Stress in College Students? (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitana, M. Dahle ◽  
Audrey Hooper ◽  
Aaron, J Cheung ◽  
Ashley Young ◽  
AliceAnn Crandall
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Stress Change ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Study Interval ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Mindfulness meditation apps have become popular self-help technology tools to manage stress and improve mental health. Mindfulness meditation classes have been associated with decreased stress levels, but the impact of mindfulness meditation apps at reducing stress levels among college students has not been thoroughly examined. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess how the frequency and duration of mindfulness meditation app use during a two-week interval affected self-reported stress levels. The study analyzed how minutes and days of app use during a 14-day period impacted change in self-reported stress compared to baseline. METHODS A longitudinal sample of 85 undergraduate students were recruited to the study through fliers and in-class announcements. Eligibility requirements ensured that participants had no prior or limited (< 2 hours) experience with mindfulness meditation. Pre- and post-assessment survey questions included perceived stress levels and the frequency and duration of meditation app use during the two-week study interval. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess whether there was a relationship between app use and change in stress. RESULTS The mean Perceived Stress Scale scores at time 1 and time 2 significantly differed (P < .001; t = 3.47), such that there was a significant decrease in self-reported stress over the study interval. The number of minutes of mindfulness mobile app use over the 14 days of the study was not predictive of stress change (P = .14), but the number of days practicing mindfulness was a significant predictor of stress change (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS Consistently practicing mindfulness may be more predictive of stress reduction than length of practice, as evidenced by a significant relationship between change in stress and number of days practicing mindfulness meditation, but not number of minutes practiced.

Impact of Perceived Second-Hand Consequences Related to Alcohol Use on College Students' Drinking Behavior Intent: A Test of Feasibility

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mickey Trockel ◽  
Andrew Wall ◽  
Janet Reis
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Impact

This article presents the results of an experiment designed to determine the impact of a group discussion about second-hand consequences of alcohol use on college students' intentions to consume alcohol. Participants were students enrolled in two large Community Health courses at a large Midwestern university ( n = 184). After randomization of class sections into an intervention or a control group, intervention group students participated in a class discussion on the negative consequences college students experience as a result of other students' drinking behavior, prior to answering survey questions regarding their drinking behavior intent. Compared to controls who completed the questionnaire only, intervention group participants reported intent to limit themselves to fewer drinks per drinking occasion ( p = .003) and fewer drinks per week ( p = .004). The effects of the brief educational intervention were analyzed using structural equation modeling, to test the feasibility of a hypothesized intervention mechanism.

scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Alcohol Consumption and Binge Drinking in College Students: A Longitudinal Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9822
Author(s):  
Margarida Vasconcelos ◽  
Alberto Crego ◽  
Rui Rodrigues ◽  
Natália Almeida-Antunes ◽  
Eduardo López-Caneda
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Alcohol Craving ◽  
Binge Drinkers ◽  
The Impact

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.

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