Reducing Heavy Episodic Drinking among College Students Using a Combined Web and Interactive Text Messaging Intervention

Abstract

ABSTRACT Heavy episodic drinking (HDE) is associated with numerous negative consequences among US college students. A number of universities have turned to web-based interventions to reduce heavy episodic drinking. Despite their efficacy, the magnitude of intervention effects tends to be relatively modest. The current project examined the potential utility of a combined interactive text messaging + web-based intervention for heavy drinking college students. In Study 1 (N = 30), effect sizes were estimated for the combined intervention versus an assessment only control on frequency of HDEs and alcohol-related consequences at one-month follow-up. In Study 2 (N = 79), the effect of the combined intervention compared to a web-intervention alone on past-month HDEs and alcohol-related consequences was assessed using negative binomial regression analyses. Results indicated that the combined intervention had a medium to large effect on HDEs compared to Assessment Only (Study 1) and a significant incremental effect on HDEs compared to the web-based intervention alone (Study 2). Cognitive-motivational process variables were also examined in each study to identify potential mediational mechanisms to be explored in the future work. Findings suggest a combination web-based intervention + interactive text messaging may be an efficacious approach for addressing heavy episodic drinking among risky drinking college students.