Brief Summary

Heavy episodic alcohol use within the college student population is widespread, creating problems for student drinkers, their peers, and their institutions. Negative consequences from heavy alcohol use can be mild (e.g., hangovers, missed classes), to severe (e.g., assault, even death). Although online interventions targeting college student drinking reduce alcohol consumption and associated problems, they are not as effective as in-person interventions. Online interventions are cost-effective, offer privacy, reduce stigma, and may reach individuals who would otherwise not receive treatment. In a recently completed randomized, controlled trial, an emailed booster with personalized feedback improved the efficacy of a popular online intervention (Braitman \& Henson, 2016). A second randomized, controlled trial confirmed efficacy for students of legal drinking age for a longer timeline (Braitman \& Lau-Barraco, 2018). Although promising, the booster incorporated in the study needs further empirical refinement. The current project seeks to build on past progress by further developing and refining the booster. In particular, to identify the most efficacious timing for sending the feedback. The content will be similar across conditions, but will be disseminated at different times to identify the most impactful timeline. There will be 6 study conditions: those who receive the emailed feedback 2, 6, 10, or 14 weeks after baseline, or at all of those times, or not at all (control). Thus, the aim of the current study is to identify optimal timing for sending the tailored booster feedback via booster email.

Trial Health

On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment

195

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_1

Timeline

Completed

Started Nov 2020

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

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

1.8 years study duration

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 26, 2020

Completed

5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 1, 2020

Completed

5 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

November 30, 2020

Completed

1.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 12, 2022

Completed

Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 12, 2022

Completed

Last Updated

May 3, 2023

Status Verified

April 1, 2023

Enrollment Period

1.8 years

First QC Date

June 26, 2020

Last Update Submit

April 28, 2023

Conditions

College Student Drinking

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

Alcohol Consumption
Participant self-reported number of standard drinks consumed by participant over a typical week for the past 30 days.
past 30 days

Secondary Outcomes (1)

Alcohol-Related Consequences
past 30 days

Study Arms (6)

Intervention-only Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants navigate through e-checkup to go, the well-established alcohol intervention. Any follow-up emails sent to them later contain only a reminder to participate in follow-up surveys.

Behavioral: e-checkup to go

Intervention plus 2-week feedback booster

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants navigate through e-checkup to go, the well-established alcohol intervention, then receive the feedback booster email 2 weeks later. It contains a reminder to participate in follow-up surveys, plus personalized feedback based on participant-reported perceived alcohol norms, actual alcohol norms, their own use, and harm reduction strategies.