Alcohol Health Education Among College Drinkers

Alcohol use among college students is both widespread and problematic. There are many negative consequences associated with frequent alcohol use, ranging from mild (e.g., hangovers, missed classes) to severe (e.g., assault, even death). Online interventions targeting alcohol use among college students reduce alcohol consumption and associated problems. These interventions are popular among colleges because they are relatively inexpensive and easily disseminated. However, online interventions are not as efficacious as face-to-face interventions, such as brief motivational interviews. The proposed project employs emailed boosters in a randomized, controlled trial in an effort to improve the efficacy an existing, popular, free online intervention, while at the same time maintaining low cost and easy dissemination. Adding boosters after interventions is a common technique to improve the efficacy of the original intervention. Boosters have been used successfully for alcohol use interventions among those seeking injury treatment in emergency medical settings. However, prior research has not supported booster efficacy for college student alcohol interventions. The current project develops and evaluates the effectiveness of boosters for a widely-used college student alcohol intervention. Specifically, the present project improves boosters by providing easy access via email; providing succinct, personalized feedback; and providing reminders of protective behavioral strategies. To test the effectiveness of adding boosters, participants randomized to alcohol-intervention-plus-boosters receive emails 2 weeks after the intervention with tailored feedback based upon their reported alcohol consumption. Participants are assessed up to nine months. The current research addresses the following specific aims: Aim 1: Improve the efficacy of an easily-disseminated computerized intervention by adding personalized follow-up boosters, where efficacy is evidenced by reduced drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences (i.e., stronger effect sizes in the booster group immediately after receiving the booster). Aim 2: Extend the duration of the reduction in drinking and associated problems through the use of these personalized follow-up boosters (i.e., significant differences between the booster and control groups at later timepoints). Aim 3: Examine protective behavioral strategies highlighted by the booster as mediating behavioral mechanisms of change.