Abstract
BackgroundEffective interventions are required to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated harms at the population level. Reducing the alcohol content of beverages has the potential to reduce alcohol consumption through non-conscious processes. Before implementing a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption, its feasibility needs to be established. This study aims to pilot a RCT and obtain data to estimate key parameters required when designing a RCT. These key parameters include the direction and size of the intervention effect, the efficacy and efficiency of the study processes and the rates of licenced premises recruitment, participant recruitment and attrition.MethodsA double-blind randomised controlled cross-over pilot trial comparing the number of units of reduced strength lager consumed and the number of units of regular strength lager consumed in a single drinking occasion within licenced premises in the UK.Descriptive statistics will report the efficacy and efficiency of the study processes and the rates of licenced premises recruitment, participant recruitment and attrition. Mean and 95% confidence intervals will be used to compare the consumption of alcohol and the duration of participation in study sessions, between the intervention arm and the control arm. The mean and standard deviation of UK units of alcohol consumed will be used to calculate a sample size for a definitive RCT.DiscussionThis is the first naturalistic experimental study to assess the effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption in a single drinking occasion within licenced premises. Results from this pilot study will establish the feasibility of, and inform key data parameters for, a larger scale study.Trial registrationThe trial is registered in the American Economic Association (AEA) Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Registry as of 16 June 2017. The unique identifying number is AEARCTR-0002266.
Highlights
Effective interventions are required to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated harms at the population level
This study aims to determine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT), which would assess whether people consume fewer units of Bud Light lager 3.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) (BL) compared to Becks lager 4.8% ABV (B) in a single drinking occasion within licenced premises
These preliminary datasets are based on the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the number of alcoholic drinks individuals consume, regardless of their ABV, which has been shown in a previous study [24]
Summary
Effective interventions are required to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated harms at the population level. These key parameters include the direction and size of the intervention effect, the efficacy and efficiency of the study processes and the rates of licenced premises recruitment, participant recruitment and attrition. The most effective alcohol harm prevention interventions may be those that target non-conscious processes and that are readily scalable to the population level [7,8,9,10,11]. These include interventions that alter the properties or placement of external stimuli, such as the strength of alcoholic. Interventions that utilise non-conscious processes have the added benefit of potentially reducing health inequalities as their recipients are not required to be health literate and numerate or have high-functioning cognition: lack of which are more prevalent with higher levels of deprivation [9, 14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
