Social Media Alcohol Intervention

University of Michigan

Status

Completed

Conditions

Risky Drinking

Drinking Behavior

Treatments

Behavioral: SMI

Behavioral: SMI + I

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT02809586

R01AA024175 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

AA024175

Details and patient eligibility

About

Social media provides frequent interaction with online social networks, increasing exposure to peer influences, which could affect alcohol use in negative or positive ways. The proposed study will recruit adolescents and emerging adults using social media ads, and conduct online screening, enrolling 975 risky drinkers in a randomized controlled trial comparing three conditions: 8-week Social Media Intervention + Incentives, 8-week Social Media Intervention Only, and an e-news attention control condition. These innovative design features will provide the critical next step in harnessing social media to reduce alcohol misuse, which could have enormous public health impact by altering the alcohol use trajectories of youth.

Full description

The proposed study will recruit adolescents and emerging adults (ages 16-24) using social media ads and conduct online screening, enrolling 975 risky drinkers (i.e., using AUDIT-C screener) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing three conditions: 1) Social Media Intervention + Incentives (n=325), 2) Social Media Intervention Only (n=325), and 3) Attention Control E-News condition (n=325), with post baseline follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months. Interventions will include access for 8 weeks to unique, secret group pages facilitated by e-coaches (supervised by therapists), with dynamic content emphasizing reducing alcohol use/misuse as well as concomitant risk behaviors (other drug use based on co-ingestion and common motives for use).

Enrollment

955 patients

Sex

All

Ages

16 to 24 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Individuals will be eligible to participate if they are between the ages of 16 and 24 years and they have a Facebook account. Additionally, individuals will be eligible if they:

Have a Past 3-month AUDIT-C score (see below) indicating that they meet criteria for at-risk drinking/alcohol misuse.
- ages 16-17: ≥3 females and ≥4 males
- ages 18-24: ≥4 females and ≥5 males

Exclusion criteria

do not live in an area that the study is currently seeking participants from (i.e.- zip code not in area of active recruitment).
under 16 years of age or over 24 years of age
not Facebook account holder
inability to give informed, voluntary consent