Skills Training via Smartphone App for University Students with Excessive Alcohol Consumption: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Mikael Gajecki,Morgan Fredriksson,Anne H Berman,Ingvar Rosendahl,Kristina Sinadinovic,Claes Andersson

doi:10.1007/s12529-016-9629-9

Mikael Gajecki, Morgan Fredriksson + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-016-9629-9

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Abstract

PurposeUniversity students in a study on estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) feedback apps were offered participation in a second study, if reporting continued excessive consumption at 6-week follow-up. This study evaluated the effects on excessive alcohol consumption of offering access to an additional skills training app.MethodA total of 186 students with excessive alcohol consumption were randomized to an intervention group or a wait list group. Both groups completed online follow-ups regarding alcohol consumption after 6 and 12 weeks. Wait list participants were given access to the intervention at 6-week follow-up. Assessment-only controls (n = 144) with excessive alcohol consumption from the ongoing study were used for comparison.ResultsThe proportion of participants with excessive alcohol consumption declined in both intervention and wait list groups compared to controls at first (p < 0.001) and second follow-ups (p = 0.054). Secondary analyses showed reductions for the intervention group in quantity of drinking at first follow-up (−4.76, 95% CI [−6.67, −2.85], Z = −2.09, p = 0.037) and in frequency of drinking at both follow-ups (−0.83, 95% CI [−1.14, −0.52], Z = −2.04, p = 0.041; −0.89, 95% CI [−1.16, −0.62], Z = −2.12, p = 0.034). The odds ratio for not having excessive alcohol consumption among men in the intervention group compared to male controls was 2.68, 95% CI [1.37, 5.25] (Z = 2.88, p = 0.004); the figure for women was 1.71, 95% CI [1.11, 2.64] (Z = 2.41, p = 0.016).ConclusionSkills training apps have potential for reducing excessive alcohol use among university students. Future research is still needed to disentangle effects of app use from emailed feedback on excessive alcohol consumption and study participation.Trial RegistrationNCT02064998

Highlights

With the advent of the smartphone in the 1990s, manufacturers began incorporating increasingly powerful computing and communication capabilities in a handheld format, making it possible to run native applications, apps, and to view and interact with advanced content over the Internet
In a very recent review on mobile interventions targeting risky drinking among university students, we found only two studies that examined the use of smartphone apps [12]
Additional secondary analyses on gender, controlling for age, and pre-randomization values 6 weeks before this study showed that the reductions in peak estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) for men in the intervention group at first and second follow-ups (−0.51, 95% CI [−0.74, −0.29]; −0.63, 95% CI [−0.90, −0.36]) were significantly greater than for the assessment-only controls (Z = −2.32, p = 0.020; −0.63; Z = −2.19, p = 0.029), and in comparison to the wait list group (Z = −2.80, p = 0.005; Z = −3.24, p = 0.001)

Summary

Introduction

With the advent of the smartphone in the 1990s, manufacturers began incorporating increasingly powerful computing and communication capabilities in a handheld format, making it possible to run native applications, apps, and to view and interact with advanced content over the Internet. The global use of smartphones is steadily increasing and it is estimated that in 2015, there were 1.9 billion users worldwide [1]. The ubiquity and the capabilities of smartphones have spurred developers to provide content in a multitude of different areas, including health care and for mental health care and substance abuse, where many apps are available but few have been evaluated scientifically [2].

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