College students are at an increased risk for alcohol consumption along with binge drinking. Previous research has shown protective behavioral strategies (PBS) could be helpful in reducing alcohol-related harm. The current study looks at a brief intervention providing PBS through text messaging during high-risk drinking weekends.
The average age of participants for this study was 20 years and 161 students met eligibility criteria. Participants were randomly placed into either the text group or the assessment only control group. The text group received messages at 6pm Thursday and Friday night along with 9am on Saturday morning. The messages reminded students to use PBS strategies and also to report use of strategies and alcohol consumption and harm. Drinking was assessed by assessing the number of drinks and hours participants were drinking on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. They also asked participants about typical drinking habits during the previous 30 days. Participants also answered questions about alcohol-related consequences and their previous use of protective behavioral strategies.
Baselines comparisons between the two groups did not find any significant differences and this was influenced by alcohol consumption. When controlling for alcohol consumption, it was found the text-messaging group had higher PBS utilization and lower alcohol-related problems. PBS scores were found to be predicted by treatment condition and alcohol consumption. Overall, it was found that the text-messaging intervention was more impactful in students with average to above average alcohol consumption. These findings show the importance of text messaging as a potential alternative intervention to help reduce harm during football game weekends on a college campus.
Take Away: The current study looks at a brief intervention providing protective behavioral strategies (PBS) through text messaging during high-risk drinking weekends. 161 participants were in the final study and randomly placed into either the text group or the assessment only control group. The text group received messages at 6pm Thursday and Friday night along with 9am on Saturday morning. The messages reminded students to use PBS strategies and also to report use of strategies and alcohol consumption and harm. Drinking was assessed along with alcohol-related consequences and previous use of protective behavioral strategies. Baselines comparisons between the two groups did not find any significant differences and this was influenced by alcohol consumption. When controlling for alcohol consumption, it was found the text-messaging group had higher PBS utilization and lower alcohol-related problems. These findings show the importance of text messaging as a potential alternative intervention to help reduce harm during football game weekends on a college campus.
Edwards, S. M., Tuliao, A. P., Kennedy, J. L. D., & McChargue, D. E. (2020). Weekend Text Messages Increase Protective Behavioral Strategies and Reduce Harm Among College Drinkers. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 5(4), 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-020-00149-4