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An interactive text message intervention to reduce binge drinking in young adults: A randomized controlled trial with 9-month outcomes

Suffoletto, B and Kristan, J and Chung, T and Jeong, K and Fabio, A and Monti, P and Clark, DB (2015) An interactive text message intervention to reduce binge drinking in young adults: A randomized controlled trial with 9-month outcomes. PLoS ONE, 10 (11).

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Abstract

Background Binge drinking is associated with numerous negative consequences. The prevalence and intensity of binge drinking is highest among young adults. This randomized trial tested the efficacy of a 12-week interactive text message intervention to reduce binge drinking up to 6 months after intervention completion among young adults. Methods and Findings Young adult participants (18-25 y; n = 765) drinking above the low-risk limits (AUDIT-C score >3/4 women/men), but not seeking alcohol treatment, were enrolled from 4 Emergency Departments (EDs) in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions in a 2:1:1 allocation ratio: SMS Assessments + Feedback (SA+F), SMS Assessments (SA), or control. For 12 weeks, SA+F participants received texts each Thursday querying weekend drinking plans and prompting drinking limit goal commitment and each Sunday querying weekend drinking quantity. SA+F participants received tailored feedback based on their text responses. To contrast the effects of SA+F with self-monitoring, SA participants received texts on Sundays querying drinking quantity, but did not receive alcoholspecific feedback. The control arm received standard care. Follow-up outcome data collected through web-based surveys were provided by 78% of participants at 3- months, 63% at 6-months and 55% at 9-months. Multiple imputation-derived, intent-to-treat models were used for primary analysis. At 9-months, participants in the SA+F group reported greater reductions in the number of binge drinking days than participants in the control group (incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.69; 95% CI .59 to.79), lower binge drinking prevalence (odds ratio [OR] 0.52; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.98]), less drinks per drinking day (beta -.62; 95% CI -1.10 to -0.15) and lower alcohol-related injury prevalence (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.88). Participants in the SA group did not reduce drinking or alcohol-related injury relative to controls. Findings were similar using complete case analyses. Conclusions An interactive text-message intervention was more effective than self-monitoring or controls in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related injury prevalence up to 6 months after intervention completion. These findings, if replicated, suggest a scalable approach to help achieve sustained reductions in binge drinking and accompanying injuries among young adults.


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Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Suffoletto, B
Kristan, J
Chung, T
Jeong, Kkwj2@pitt.eduKWJ2
Fabio, Aanthony.fabio@pitt.eduAFABIO0000-0002-6808-4939
Monti, P
Clark, DBdbc2@pitt.eduDBC2
Contributors:
ContributionContributors NameEmailPitt UsernameORCID
EditorLe Foll, BernardUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Date: 1 November 2015
Date Type: Publication
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Journal or Publication Title: PLoS ONE
Volume: 10
Number: 11
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142877
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Public Health > Epidemiology
School of Medicine > Emergency Medicine
School of Medicine > Psychiatry
Refereed: Yes
Date Deposited: 23 Aug 2016 14:51
Last Modified: 30 Mar 2021 12:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28362

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