Development and Acceptability of a Co-Produced Online Intervention to Prevent Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents: A Think Aloud Study.

Emma Louise Davies,David R Foxcroft,Jilly Martin

doi:10.2196/humanfactors.4452

Emma Louise Davies, David R Foxcroft + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.2196/humanfactors.4452

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Abstract

BackgroundThe prototype willingness model (PWM) may offer an appropriate basis for explaining and preventing adolescent alcohol misuse. An intervention was developed using a co-production approach, and consisted of an online quiz featuring 10 questions linked to the PWM.ObjectiveThis study sought to determine the acceptability and relevance of the intervention content to young people, to incorporate their feedback into a final version.MethodsA qualitative think aloud study with follow-up semistructured interviews was undertaken with 16 young people aged 11-15 (50%). Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe following 3 main themes relating the acceptability of the intervention were identified: “challenging expectations of alcohol education”; “motivations for drinking or not drinking,” and “the inevitability of drinking.” Participants found the intervention appealing because it was counter to their expectations. The content appeared to reflect their experiences of social pressure and drinking encounters. There was evidence that a focus on drinker/nondrinker prototypes was too narrow and that because adolescents perceived drinking as inevitable, it would be challenging to enact any plans to resist pressure to drink.ConclusionsAn online intervention based on the PWM has the potential to engage and interest adolescents. A wide range of alcohol prototypes should be targeted and a focus on short-term harms should ensure that the intervention is credible to young people.

Highlights

An online intervention based on the prototype willingness model (PWM) has the potential to engage and interest adolescents
Overview Underage alcohol consumption is higher in the United Kingdom than in other parts of Europe [1] and evidence suggests teenagers aged 11-15 who consume alcohol are at risk of short-term harm [2,3] and later dependence [4]
This evidence points to a need for the development of effective intervention measures to reduce adolescent alcohol misuse and associated harms

Summary

Introduction

Overview Underage alcohol consumption is higher in the United Kingdom than in other parts of Europe [1] and evidence suggests teenagers aged 11-15 who consume alcohol are at risk of short-term harm [2,3] and later dependence [4]. National surveys suggest that the number of young people in England aged 11-15 who report ever having tried alcohol is falling [5]; other evidence suggests that those who do drink tend to consume harmful quantities [6,7] This evidence points to a need for the development of effective intervention measures to reduce adolescent alcohol misuse and associated harms. A recent meta-analysis suggested that adult alcohol intentions might be better accounted for by the TPB than adolescent alcohol intentions [12] This may be because adolescence is characterized by high levels of impulsivity, which is linked to risk-taking behaviors, such as drinking alcohol [13], and tends to peak between the ages of 13 and 19 [14,15]. An intervention was developed using a co-production approach, and consisted of an online quiz featuring 10 questions linked to the PWM

Methods

Results

Conclusion