Cited by 170Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesAlcohol Consumption and Health EffectsDigital Mental Health Interventions

Randomized controlled trial of proactive web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for university students

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Kypri, Kypros·2009·Archives of Internal Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND: University students drink more heavily than their nonstudent peers and are often unaware that their drinking is risky and exceeds normative levels. We tested the efficacy of a proactive Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention program. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at an Australian university in 2007. Invitations were sent to 13 000 undergraduates (age range, 17-24 years) to complete a Web-based Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Of 7237 students who responded, 2435 scored in the hazardous/harmful range (> or =8) and were randomized, and 2050 (84%) completed at least 1 follow-up assessment. Intervention was 10 minutes of Web-based motivational assessment and personalized feedback. Controls received only screening. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 1 and 6 months with observers and participants blinded to allocation. Outcome measures were drinking frequency, typical occasion quantity, overall volume, number of personal problems, an academic problems score, prevalence of binge drinking, and prevalence of heavy drinking. RESULTS: Mean (SD) baseline Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores for control and intervention groups were 14.3 (5.1) and 14.2 (5.1), respectively. After 1 month, participants receiving intervention drank less often (rate ratio [RR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.94), smaller quantities per occasion (RR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.98), and less alcohol overall (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78-0.90) than did controls. Differences in alcohol-related harms were nonsignificant. At 6 months, intervention effects persisted for drinking frequency (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.97) and overall volume (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82-0.96) but not for other variables. CONCLUSION: Proactive Web-based screening and intervention reduces drinking in undergraduates, and such a program could be implemented widely.

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Crossref · 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.249

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Authors
Kypri, K.
Affiliations
University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
Corresponding author
Kypri, Kypros
Venue
Archives of Internal Medicine
Published
2009-09-12
Volume
169
Issue
16
Pages
1508
ISSN
0003-9926 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2151235672
Cited by
170
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 18
FWCI
9.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Archives of Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Healthway (15166)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
Keywords
alcohol screening, brief intervention, online intervention, university students, binge drinking, heavy drinking, alcoholism, personalized feedback, alcohol-related harm
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Alcohol Drinking, Female, Humans, Male, Mass Screening, Random Allocation, Students, Universities, Western Australia, Internet, Young Adult

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