Alcohol Consumption
Conditions
Keywords
alcohol, drinking, brief intervention, teleheath
Brief summary
This research study will test the efficacy of a telehealth version of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), which is the gold standard prevention and intervention approach to target heavy alcohol use on college campuses across the United States.
Detailed description
In this study, the researchers will evaluate the efficacy of a tele-BASICS approach utilizing the ZOOM application compared to in-person BASICS and a lower threshold treatment as usual intervention. Three hundred mandated and 300 volunteer students who report hazardous drinking will be recruited from two large universities and randomly assigned to a condition (in-person BASICS, Tele-BASICS, or treatment as usual). Follow-up assessments will occur 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline. The significance of this research lies in the potential to maximize access to the highest standard of care by establishing support for easier access without sacrificing any central features of the traditional BASICS intervention. In addition, many universities pragmatically adapted existing in-person interventions to remote-telehealth approaches in response to the COVID pandemic but now have no scientific basis for determining whether transitioning back to in-person approaches would be beneficial.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALOnline alcohol programming
This is a control intervention that is used as the first-line sanction for students at the two universities. It is an online program, informed by BASICS content, but contains no facilitator and is self-directed.
BEHAVIORALBASICS
The intervention is the BASICS protocol outlined in the BASICS manual. It includes an online self-administered assessment and then delivery of a feedback session either in-person or over Zoom.
Sponsors
University of Southern California
University of Houston
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
It will be clear to participants and facilitators which intervention condition participants are in. Therefore, masking will be conducted at the data analyses level
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 26 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* between 18 and 26 years of age * fluent in understanding English * a registered student at one of the two intervention sites * adequate internet capabilities to support video-conferencing * access to a webcam, which is a standard features of most laptops, mobile devices, and desktops * engage in binge drinking (i.e., 4 or more standard drinks in a sitting for women or 5 or more standard drinks in a sitting for men) at least once in the past month (for the volunteer sample only) * experienced at least one negative alcohol-related consequence in the previous month (mandated students would meet this due to receiving an alcohol sanction) * reports a score of 2 or higher on questions about a) interest in reducing their drinking, or b) interest in not increasing their drinking.
Exclusion criteria
* not meeting inclusion criteria or unwillingness to participate
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol use | Assessed over the course of 12 months | Quantity and frequency of alcohol use in the past month (i.e., how many days drank and how many drinks per occasion). Assessed at baseline and then 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline. |
| Alcohol-related consequences | Assessed over the course of 12 months | Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire assesses past month consequences from alcohol use. Higher scores indicate more endorsement of the 24 consequences (yes/no) items on the scale. Outcome assessed at baseline and then 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-baseline |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Completion rates | One time assessment at end of program, after 1 session is completed 1 to 2 weeks post-baseline | We will evaluate completion rates of the each of the three programs tested in this study. This will be indicated by whether participants attended their scheduled BASICS session or fully completed their online treatment as ususal alcohol program |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTEric R Pedersen, Ph.D.
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOREric R Pedersen, Ph.D.
University of Southern California
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORClayton Neighbors, Ph.D.
University of Houston
Outcome results
None listed