Skills Training via Smartphone App for University Students with Excessive Alcohol Consumption: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

PurposeUniversity students in a study on estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) feedback apps were offered participation in a second study, if reporting continued excessive consumption at 6-week follow-up. This study evaluated the effects on excessive alcohol consumption of offering access to an additional skills training app.MethodA total of 186 students with excessive alcohol consumption were randomized to an intervention group or a wait list group. Both groups completed online follow-ups regarding alcohol consumption after 6 and 12 weeks. Wait list participants were given access to the intervention at 6-week follow-up. Assessment-only controls (n = 144) with excessive alcohol consumption from the ongoing study were used for comparison.ResultsThe proportion of participants with excessive alcohol consumption declined in both intervention and wait list groups compared to controls at first (p < 0.001) and second follow-ups (p = 0.054). Secondary analyses showed reductions for the intervention group in quantity of drinking at first follow-up (−4.76, 95% CI [−6.67, −2.85], Z = −2.09, p = 0.037) and in frequency of drinking at both follow-ups (−0.83, 95% CI [−1.14, −0.52], Z = −2.04, p = 0.041; −0.89, 95% CI [−1.16, −0.62], Z = −2.12, p = 0.034). The odds ratio for not having excessive alcohol consumption among men in the intervention group compared to male controls was 2.68, 95% CI [1.37, 5.25] (Z = 2.88, p = 0.004); the figure for women was 1.71, 95% CI [1.11, 2.64] (Z = 2.41, p = 0.016).ConclusionSkills training apps have potential for reducing excessive alcohol use among university students. Future research is still needed to disentangle effects of app use from emailed feedback on excessive alcohol consumption and study participation.Trial RegistrationNCT02064998Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12529-016-9629-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Editorial on IJBM Special Issue—E-Health Interventions for Addictive Behaviors

“…This notion is further supported by the findings of Gajecki et al [15] who evaluated the effectiveness of two smartphone apps for alcohol moderation among university students in an RCT. Problem drinkers who had used the first app (a blood-alcohol concentration feedback app) in a prior study for 6 weeks were offered the second app (an alcohol refusal training app) either immediately or after 6 weeks.…”

“…Four of the five papers [13][14][15][16] are randomized controlled trials (RCTs), while the fifth paper presents a large naturalistic cohort study [12]. In the latter cohort study, Johansson et al examined intervention use patterns and variables associated with reductions in alcohol consumption for 1043 Internet help-seekers.…”

“…1 for an example of four visualizations from interventions described in this issue that contrast with one another. The main body of articles in the issue follows three key themes, with three articles focusing on the methodology of developing e-health interventions [3][4][5], six focusing on issues of alliance and engagement with e-health interventions [6][7][8][9][10][11], and five articles reporting on empirical outcomes [12][13][14][15][16]. While the focus throughout is addictive behaviors, much of the knowledge collected in the issue has clear relevance for other behaviors, both in the mental health field and in the management of somatic illness, where the user's behavior is essential for maintaining or improving health.…”

Computer‐assisted psychological assessment and psychotherapy for collegians

“…This study recruited students that had previously completed a trial evaluating an estimated blood alcohol concentration feedback app (Gajecki et al, ). If they still had concerns over continued excessive alcohol consumption they were offered another app with additional skills training.…”

Feasibility and Effects of Digital Interventions to Support People in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders: Systematic Review (Preprint)

“…A study by Cunningham et al [25](2016), compared a brief with an extended intervention (the AlcoholHelpCentre.net), and found that the extended intervention did not increase the effect. In recent studies, however, promising results have been obtained from adding new elements to standard interventions, such as gamification [26], booster e-mail sessions [27,28], skills training via smartphone apps [29], individually tailored text messaging [30], and Facebook delivery of the personalized normative feedbacks [31].…”