Text-based Alcohol Prevention for First Year College Students

NCT03864237 | Completed Results DMC

• 1 other identifier: R21AA024771
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 121
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project aims to combat excessive perceived norms that contribute to high volume drinking by young adults, which adversely affects health and academic achievement. Campus-specific survey data will be used to craft accurate, pro-moderation campus norms, and deliver them to first-year students via daily text messages during the first semester of college. It is predicted that those receiving regular exposure to pro-moderation drinking norms will reduce their alcohol consumption and consequences, relative to students who receive non-alcohol-related control texts. This preliminary evaluation uses a novel method of delivering drinking norms and will lay the groundwork for future efforts to scale up this novel alcohol misuse prevention approach.

Conditions

College Drinking

Keywords

alcohol abuse; college students; preventive programs; text messages

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Drinks Per Week as Assessed by the Daily Drinking Questionnaire

  Sum of standard drinks consumed on each day in a typical week over the past 30 days; scores can be as low as zero but there is no upper limit as they are counts of drinks

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

• Alcohol-related Consequences as Assessed by the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire

  The total number of alcohol-related consequences experienced over the past 30 days is measured by the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (BYAACQ), which is a checklist of 24 items; scores range from 0-24; higher numbers of items endorsed indicate more problems experienced in the past 30 days

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Protective Behavioral Strategies as Assessed by the Strategies Questionnaire - Alternative Sub Scale

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

• Perceived Descriptive Drinking Norms as Assessed by the Drinking Norms Rating Form

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

• Perceived Injunctive Drinking Norms as Assessed by an Adaptation of the Drinking Norms Rating Form

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

• Protective Behavioral Strategies as Assessed by the Strategies Questionnaire - Selective Avoidance Sub Scale

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

• Protective Behavioral Strategies as Assessed by the Strategies Questionnaire - Strategies Sub Scale

  Assessed over prior 30 days at 3 month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Alcohol texts

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to this arm will receive a text message each day for 10 weeks, containing factual information about campus drinking norms.

Behavioral: Alcohol texts

Attention control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants assigned to this arm will receive a text message each day for 10 weeks, containing "this day in history" facts.

Behavioral: Attention control

Interventions

Alcohol texts BEHAVIORAL

A text message each day for 10 weeks, containing factual information about campus drinking norms.

Alcohol texts

Attention control BEHAVIORAL

A text message each day for 10 weeks, containing "this day in history" facts.

Attention control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 20 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• years of age
• enrolled as a first-year undergraduate student
• past month risky drinking
• possession of a mobile phone with text message capacity
• use text messaging at least weekly

You may not qualify if:

• \* currently engaged in alcohol treatment or in need of treatment (AUDIT score 20 or higher)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brown University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Carey KB, Merrill JE, Boyle HK, Barnett NP. Correcting exaggerated drinking norms with a mobile message delivery system: Selective prevention with heavy-drinking first-year college students. Psychol Addict Behav. 2020 May;34(3):454-464. doi: 10.1037/adb0000566. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

  PMID: 32118463 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Drinking in College; Alcoholism

Interventions

Ethanol

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol Drinking; Drinking Behavior; Behavior; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohols; Organic Chemicals

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Kate B. Carey
• Organization: Brown University School of Public Health

kate_carey@brown.edu

4018636558

Publication Agreements

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 11, 2018
• First Posted: March 6, 2019
• Study Start: September 5, 2018
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2019
• Study Completion: April 1, 2019
• Last Updated: April 16, 2025
• Results First Posted: April 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: within one year of study completion, for up to 3 years
• Access Criteria: to be determined

Locations

US (1)