The negative effects of binge drinking are well documented particularly among the college student population in the United States and include impaired academic performance as well as increased risk for a variety of mental and physical illnesses and conditions. Because of these impacts of harmful drinking in college students, as well as the ubiquitous prevalence, campus-funded alcohol treatment programs are found in the majority of academic institutions. These programs often seek to initiate counseling interventions for individuals in need of treatment, with different forms of services relying on a variety of methods and techniques. This study investigates the efficacy of a web and text message combination intervention in reducing episodic drinking events in college students.
The study sample consisted of 30 undergraduate students meeting the eligibility criteria of reporting at least 2 heavy drinking episodes in the month prior to intervention initiation (N=30, 70% female). The participants completed assessments related to alcohol consumption at the beginning and end of the 4-week intervention period. The following measures were included in the assessments: frequency of heavy drinking episodes (via Daily Drinking Questionnaire), perceptions of peer alcohol use, incurred alcohol consequences (via Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire), self-regulation with regards to modifying alcohol consumption (via Goal Systems Assessment Battery, readiness to reduce alcohol consumption (via Contemplation Ladder), and use of protective behavioral strategies (via Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale). The 30 participants were randomly assigned to either a web and text message-based intervention program [WEB+TEXT] for the respective month, or to a group which only performed an assessment at the end of the month. The [WEB+TEXT} group used the e-CHECKUP TO GO-Alcohol online program and then received daily text messages from Thursday through Sunday of each week containing reminders of the intervention content. Data analysis was performed for alcohol use outcomes for the groups using hierarchical multiple regression analysis.
Results of the study found the [WEB+TEXT] reported lower instances of heavy episodic drinking than the assessment only group (p<0.05), but no differences were found in the number of alcohol consequences experienced. The readiness to change and perceived peer drinking norms variables also differed between groups (p<0.05 for each), with self-monitoring being shown to increase to a large extent in the [WEB+TEXT] group.
Takeaway: Web-based interventions for college students in need of alcohol-related treatment continue to show promise as a practical means of care delivery. Additional research is needed to continue to develop the most efficacious aspects of these programs in order to design optimal treatment programs.
Chavez K, Palfai TP. Reducing Heavy Episodic Drinking among College Students Using a Combined Web and Interactive Text Messaging Intervention. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. 2021;39(1):82-95. doi:10.1080/07347324.2020.1784067