An Interactive Text-Message Based Brief Intervention to Reduce Substance-Impaired Driving Among College Students

NCT03496129 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 18-187
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 105
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Substance-Impaired Driving among college students remains a significant public health concern and may be the single riskiest substance-related outcome among young adults. Brief Interventions (BIs) have been shown to reduce alcohol-impaired driving among college students, but are not often implemented - despite their demonstrated efficacy - because it is not economically feasible for universities to hire and train staff to deliver in-person BIs to all college substance users. Very few college students seek out substance prevention or treatment services available on campus or in the surrounding community. Innovative ways of delivering BIs to this at-risk population in a manner that is both effective and economically feasible have to be developed. The present study will be the first to examine whether a text-messaging-based substance-impaired driving BI significantly decreases substance-impaired driving among colleges substance users compared to an informational control. Participants will be 150 college students who endorse driving after substance use (alcohol, drugs, and/or combined alcohol/drugs) at least twice in the past 3 months. After completing baseline measures, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either: a) substance use information, b) a substance-impaired driving personalized feedback intervention, or c) a substance-impaired driving personalized feedback intervention plus interactive text messages. Participants will complete outcome measures 3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention. Repeated measures mixed modeling analyses will be used to determine whether the intervention significantly reduces substance-impaired driving over time. The project has two specific aims: 1) to evaluate a text based substance-impaired driving intervention in a randomized clinical trial, and 2) to determine whether the use of interactive text-messages sustains intervention effects over time. This study is innovative because it utilizes cutting-edge technology to deliver the entire intervention, enabling the study to reach a large number of students in a short time period at a low cost. The study is significant because it will contribute substantially to the substance-impaired driving literature by identifying an intervention that can decrease substance-impaired driving among this high-risk population. Additionally, this study will add to the newly emerging technology-based intervention literature.

Conditions

Alcohol-Impaired Driving

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Number of Times Driving After Using Substances

  Participants will be asked to report the number of times they have driven within two hours of drinking alcohol or using other substances.

  3 months

Study Arms (3)

Personalized Feedback

EXPERIMENTAL

Following the baseline assessment, participants will be sent a link via text message to a secure website containing substance-impaired driving specific personalized feedback. Feedback will include the following elements: a personalized substance use profile and substance-impaired driving profile, information on social norms related to substance use and substance-impaired driving, personalized information on BAC (or level of impairment due to drug use) prior to driving, costs associated with a DUI citation in Kentucky, and information on combined drug and alcohol impaired driving risk (if endorsed).

Behavioral: Personalized feedback

Personalized feedback and text messages

EXPERIMENTAL

Following the baseline assessment, participants will be sent a link via text message to a secure website containing substance-impaired driving specific personalized feedback (described above). Participants will be asked to send a text message back to the study administrator after viewing the feedback document. After confirming receipt and processing of the document, the study administrator will then send the participant three text messages containing open-ended questions.

Behavioral: Personalized feedback and text messages

Information Only

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Students randomized to the information condition will receive standard information about alcohol and other drugs and substance-impaired driving via a link to a website delivered through text message.

Behavioral: Information Only

Interventions

Personalized feedback BEHAVIORAL

Following the baseline assessment, participants will be sent a link via text message to a secure website containing substance-impaired driving specific personalized feedback. Feedback will include the following elements: a personalized substance use profile and substance-impaired driving profile, information on social norms related to substance use and substance-impaired driving, personalized information on BAC (or level of impairment due to drug use) prior to driving, costs associated with a DUI citation in Kentucky, and information on combined drug and alcohol impaired driving risk (if endorsed).

Personalized Feedback

Personalized feedback and text messages BEHAVIORAL

Experimental: Personalized feedback and text messages Following the baseline assessment, participants will be sent a link via text message to a secure website containing substance-impaired driving specific personalized feedback (described above). Participants will be asked to send a text message back to the study administrator after viewing the feedback document. After confirming receipt and processing of the document, the study administrator will then send the participant three text messages containing open-ended questions.

Personalized feedback and text messages

Information Only BEHAVIORAL

Active Comparator: Information Only Students randomized to the information condition will receive standard information about alcohol and other drugs and substance-impaired driving via a link to a website delivered through text message.

Information Only

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 or older
• Currently enrolled (full or part-time) in college
• Ability to speak, read, and write in English
• Reports driving after drinking two or more drinks prior to driving at least three times in the past three months AND/OR reports driving after using marijuana or any other substance prior to driving at least three times in the past three months
• Reports having access to a motor vehicle, a valid driver's license, and plans to drive a vehicle in the next 3 months
• Reports access to a cell phone and willingness to read intervention material and exchange 3 texts post intervention with the study administrator
• Reports a valid email address

You may not qualify if:

• Currently in treatment for substance use or abuse

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Western Kentucky University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gary Ransdell Hall

Bowling Green, Kentucky, 42101, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Teeters JB, King SA, Hubbard SM. A mobile phone-based brief intervention with personalized feedback and interactive text messaging is associated with changes in driving after cannabis use cognitions in a proof-of-concept pilot trial. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2021 Apr;29(2):203-209. doi: 10.1037/pha0000442.

  PMID: 34043401 DERIVED

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Martha Bickford
• Organization: University of Louisville

martha.bickford@louisville.edu

502-852-3527

Study Officials

• Jenni B Teeters, PhD

  Western Kentucky University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 3, 2018
• First Posted: April 12, 2018
• Study Start: September 22, 2018
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2021
• Study Completion: April 30, 2021
• Last Updated: August 11, 2025
• Results First Posted: August 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

US (1)