NCT01874509

Brief Summary

Alcohol is one of the leading contributors to premature mortality and disability. Most people with alcohol problems will never seek treatment. There is a need to develop alternate ways to help problem drinkers outside of formal treatment settings. One promising strategy is Internet-based interventions for problem drinkers. The first randomized controlled trial found that the investigators could reduce alcohol consumption by about six drinks per week at a six-month follow-up using a minimal, personalized feedback Internet-based intervention. The investigators second randomized trial demonstrated that an extended Internet-based intervention that contained a range of cognitive-behavioural and relapse prevention tools could produce greater reductions in problem drinking compared to that provided by the same minimal intervention at a six-month follow-up. Building upon this research, the current project will assess whether this extended Internet-based intervention can have a sustained impact on problem drinking. Specifically, the major objective of this project is to conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing the impact of an extended Internet-based self-help intervention for problem drinkers to a minimal Internet-based intervention in the general population of problem drinkers over a two year period. Problem drinking participants will be recruited through media advertisements across Canada and will be randomly assigned to the minimal or extended Internet-based interventions. Six-month, twelve-month and two-year drinking outcomes will be compared between experimental conditions. It is predicted that participants receiving the extended Internet intervention will display sustained improved drinking outcomes compared to participants in the minimal Internet intervention condition. This programmatic line of research will advance the science of Internet-mediated intervention.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
490

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2013

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 1, 2013

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 7, 2013

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 11, 2013

Completed
1.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

February 1, 2015

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 1, 2016

Completed
Last Updated

March 28, 2017

Status Verified

March 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

1.7 years

First QC Date

June 7, 2013

Last Update Submit

March 25, 2017

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in AUDIT-C from baseline

    A composite measure of three quantity/frequency drinking items (number of drinks per drinking day; frequency of alcohol consumption; frequency of 5+ drinking days). Developed by the world health organization.

    6 months, 1 year, 2 years

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Change in number of drinks in a typical week from baseline

    6 months, 1 year, 2 years

  • Change in highest number of drinks on one occasion from baseline

    6 months, 1 year, 2 years

Study Arms (2)

Check Your Drinking screener

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Internet based program of lower intensity as compared to the "Alcohol Help Centre. It was designed to assesses drinking patterns, increase self-awareness of individual triggers, and set and achieve goals regarding abstinence.

Behavioral: Check Your Drinking

Alcohol Help Centre

EXPERIMENTAL

Internet based program of higher intensity as compared to the "Check Your Drinking" intervention. It was designed to assesses drinking patterns, increase self-awareness of individual triggers, and set and achieve goals regarding abstinence.

Behavioral: Alcohol Help Centre

Interventions

Check Your Drinking screener
Alcohol Help Centre

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • years of age or over
  • A score of 8 or over on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
  • Indicate an interest in receiving self-help materials
  • Have home access to the Internet
  • Are willing to participate in follow-up at six month, twelve month and 2 year intervals

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2S1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (2)

  • Cunningham JA, Shorter GW, Murphy M, Kushnir V, Rehm J, Hendershot CS. Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Versus Extended Internet Intervention for Problem Drinkers. Int J Behav Med. 2017 Oct;24(5):760-767. doi: 10.1007/s12529-016-9604-5.

  • Cunningham JA, Hendershot CS, Rehm J. Randomized controlled trial of a minimal versus extended Internet-based intervention for problem drinkers: study protocol. BMC Public Health. 2015 Jan 21;15:21. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1347-8.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Drinking

Interventions

Ethanol

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Drinking BehaviorBehavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

AlcoholsOrganic Chemicals

Study Officials

  • John A Cunningham, Ph.D.

    Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Senior Scientist

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 7, 2013

First Posted

June 11, 2013

Study Start

June 1, 2013

Primary Completion

February 1, 2015

Study Completion

February 1, 2016

Last Updated

March 28, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-03

Locations