How Much is Enough? Willingness to Participate in Alcohol Interventions

Abstract

This study examined the willingness of drinkers to participate in alcohol interventions designed to cut down or stop alcohol use by degree of service-provider contact. One hundred fifty-six university students and staff who attended a campus health fair participated in an alcohol survey. Of the college drinkers, 73.7% reported they were willing to participate in one or more alcohol interventions with minimal provider contact, compared with 48.5% who said they would participate in programs with high provider contact. Respondents preferred minimal-contact strategies (use of nonalcoholic or low-alcohol beverages, information pamphlets, cash awards, television programs, and mailed instructions) to high-contact approaches. Men were significantly more willing (ps less than .05) than women to participate in nearly half (11 to 21) of the alcohol interventions. Three measures indicative of motivation to control drinking were significantly associated with greater willingness to participate in nearly all strategies. This study also suggested that drinkers who were highly motivated to control their drinking did not prefer minimal-contact interventions over high-contact interventions.