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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Oct;24(5):778-788.
doi: 10.1007/s12529-016-9629-9.

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

Mikael Gajecki  1   2 , Claes Andersson  3 , Ingvar Rosendahl  4 , Kristina Sinadinovic  4 , Morgan Fredriksson  5 , Anne H Berman  4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

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

Mikael Gajecki et al. Int J Behav Med. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: University 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.

Method: A 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.

Results: The 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).

Conclusion: Skills 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 registration: NCT02064998.

Keywords: Alcohol abuse; Brief intervention; College; Mobile phone; Problem drinking; Randomized controlled trial; Relapse prevention; Smartphone; University; eHealth; mHealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Since Swedish universities are not permitted to organize lotteries, the iPad lottery was conducted by the Save the Children charity organization.

Funding

The study was funded by grant number FO2014-0069 from the National Alcohol Monopoly Research Council (Independent), for author MG. Additional funding came from the Swedish Research Council grants K2012-61P-22131-01-6 (AHB) and K2012-61X-22132-01-6 (KS). The Principal Investigator for all grants is AHB.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Figure comparing the time frames and flow of studies A (Gajecki et al., 2014), B (Berman et al., 2016), and C (Berman et al. 2016, and current article)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CONSORT diagram of participant flow
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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