Heavy Drinking
Conditions
Brief summary
The primary objective of the research study is to develop and test a prepartying (aka pregaming) specific brief mobile app intervention that is intended to help college students reduce their prepartying drinking behavior. Such behavior has been identified as a major contributor to alcohol-related negative consequences among young people. The investigators will first develop the intervention content based on theory and research supporting mechanisms of change in brief interventions with college students and document normative drinking information from 500 college students for inclusion in the intervention content. Investigators will then beta test the intervention with a sample of 14 heavy drinking college students. Focus group feasibility and acceptability feedback will inform the final intervention content. Investigators will then pilot test the mobile-based intervention in a randomized controlled trial of 500 college students who preparty frequently (n = 250 intervention, n = 250 attention control) and determine the efficacy of the intervention on (1) preventing heavy consumption levels during and after prepartying and on (2) reducing students' global levels of heavy drinking and consequences one and three months post-intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMobile app prepartying intervention
The intervention is comprised of a theoretically-informed and empirically-supported, brief, accessible, and personalized intervention to address prepartying drinking. the prepartying intervention app will be tailored toward an individual's personal goals, beliefs (perceptions, expectancies, self-efficacy), and behavior (protective strategies), and focus on the core components of brief interventions that have been cited as constructs that mediate the effects of multiple component intervention programs (e.g., correcting perceived norms, use of protective behavioral strategies, increased self-efficacy, challenging expectancies, feedback on blood alcohol level).
Sponsors
University of Southern California
RAND
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 24 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* full time undergraduate college student * between the ages of 18 and 24 * report typically prepartying at least once per week
Exclusion criteria
* not meeting inclusion criteria
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Prepartying frequency | Past month (30 days) | Number of days reported prepartying on the timeline followback |
| Drinks during prepartying | Past month (30 days) | Average number of drinks reported during prepartying on the timeline followback |
| Drinking frequency | Past month (30 days) | Number of days reported any drinking on the timeline followback |
| Drinks on drinking days | Past month (30 days) | Average number of drinks reported during drinking days on the timeline followback |
| 21-item Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire | Past month (30 days) | Number of 21 assessed alcohol consequences experienced (yes/no). Yes responses are summed to yield a score on this measure. Higher scores indicate experience of a greater number of consequences. Scores range from 0 (no consequences) to 21 (experience of all 21 consequences) |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactEric R Pedersen
Outcome results
None listed