1. Article study – need lecture on research question/hypothesis/thesis statement; lecture on IV
and DV; lecture on how research articles are formatted (intro, methods, findings/results,
discussion/conclusion
a. Select one of the articles from the list
b. Scan the Intro section to identify the research question(s)/hypothesis being addressed
c. What is the target population/health issue the study is addressing
d. Identify the variables used to address the RQ
e. Summarize the characteristics of the sample (provide the description of the sample
population given in the selected article)
f. Summarize the findings from the analyses
g. How do the findings benefit the target population
Your submission must follow this format:
1. Present the selected article in APA reference format
2. Write out the research question/hypothesis being addressed by the study
3. Identify the target population and the issue
4. List the variables being evaluated in the study
5. Summarize the characteristics of the sample (provide the description of the sample population given
in the selected article)
6. Summarize the results/findings
7. Summarize how the findings will benefit the target population/issue
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JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS / SEPTEMBER 2018
A Mobile Phone–Based Brief Intervention With
Personalized Feedback and Text Messaging Is
Associated With Reductions in Driving After Drinking
Among College Drinkers
JENNI B. TEETERS, PH.D.,a,b,* KATHRYN E. SOLTIS, M.S.,b & JAMES G. MURPHY, PH.D.b
aPsychological
bDepartment
Sciences Department, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
of Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis Tennessee
ABSTRACT. Objective: Driving after drinking (DAD) among college
students remains a significant public health concern and is perhaps the
single riskiest drinking-related behavior. Counselor-delivered and webbased Brief Alcohol Interventions (BAIs) have been shown to reduce
DAD among college students, but to date no study has evaluated the
efficacy of a single-session mobile phone–based BAI specific to DAD.
The present study examined whether a driving-specific BAI delivered
via mobile phone would significantly decrease DAD among college students compared to an informational control. Method: Participants were
84 college students (67.1% women; average age = 23; 52.4% White)
who endorsed driving after drinking two or more drinks at least twice
in the past 3 months. After completing baseline measures, participants
were randomly assigned to receive either (a) DAD information or (b)
DAD mobile BAI that included personalized feedback and interactive
text messaging. Participants completed outcome measures at 3-month
follow-up. Results: Repeated-measures mixed modeling analyses
revealed that students receiving the mobile phone–based BAI reported
significantly greater reductions in likelihood of DAD (three or more
drinks) and the number of drinks consumed before driving than students
in the information condition at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: These
findings provide preliminary support for the short-term efficacy of a
mobile phone–based BAI for reducing DAD among college students. (J.
Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 79, 710–719, 2018)
D
RIVING AFTER DRINKING (DAD) is a national
public health concern. Each year more than 10,000
people die as a result of alcohol-related crashes, and costs
of alcohol-related traffic accidents total around $59 billion
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014).
Despite widespread prevention efforts, approximately 3.4
million college students (30% of all U.S. college students)
report driving after drinking alcohol, and alcohol-related
traffic accidents remain the leading cause of alcohol-related
death among college students (Hingson et al., 2009).
Although a variety of policy-based public health interventions (i.e., raising the legal drinking age, lowering the
legal blood alcohol concentration driving limit, sobriety
checkpoints, zero tolerance laws, server training, etc.),
campus programs, and media campaigns have been implemented to decrease DAD, the frequency of DAD remains
high, particularly among college students (Hingson et al.,
2017). Brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) attempt to identify and correct faulty normative beliefs and highlight con-
sequences of alcohol use (such as driving after drinking)
in order to increase motivation to change. Recent meta and
integrated-analyses indicate that BAIs generally succeed in
reducing alcohol use (frequency, quantity, level of intoxication) and a variety of alcohol-related problems (Cronce
et al., 2012; Mun et al., 2014), although effect sizes are
typically small (Foxcroft et al., 2016; Huh et al., 2015).
BAIs typically consist of one or two individual therapeutic
meetings (approximately 50 minutes per session; Carey et
al., 2007) that are delivered in a motivational interviewing
(MI; Miller & Rollnick, 2013) style and include personalized feedback. Personalized feedback is created based on a
series of questionnaires completed by students before their
BAI session, and although specific feedback components
differ by study, a personalized drinking profile, information on social norms, prior alcohol-related consequences
experienced by the student (including drinking and driving
if endorsed), practical costs (e.g., money spent on alcohol
and caloric intake from alcohol), and information on strategies to limit alcohol-related risk are typically included
(see Miller et al., 2013). In addition, research suggests that
personalized feedback delivered without a one-on-one intervention may effectively reduce alcohol use and problems
at short-term follow-ups (up to 4 months; Cadigan et al.,
2015).
Previous research has shown that BAIs can successfully
reduce DAD among DUI offenders and emergency department patients (Brown et al., 2010; D’Onofrio et al., 2012;
Received: November 8, 2017. Revision: June 7, 2018.
This research was supported by a grant from the American Psychological
Association (principal investigator: Jenni B. Teeters) and National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA020829, principal investigator:
James G. Murphy).
*Correspondence may be sent to Jenni B. Teeters at the Psychological
Sciences Department, Western Kentucky University, 3040 Gary Ransdell
Hall, Bowling Green, KY 42101, or via email at: jenni.teeters@wku.edu.
710
TEETERS, SOLTIS, AND MURPHY
Ouimet et al., 2013; Spirito et al., 2004; Wells-Parker &
Williams, 2002). Counselor-delivered BAIs can also reduce
DAD among college students and other young adults (Monti
et al., 1999; Schaus et al., 2009; Teeters et al., 2015). Unfortunately, despite the demonstrated efficacy of BAIs, it is
often not feasible for universities to hire and train staff to
deliver in-person BAIs to a large number of risky drinking
college students. In addition, very few heavy drinking college students seek out alcohol prevention or treatment services available on campus or in the surrounding community
(Buscemi et al., 2010), and even when incentivized with
research credit it is often difficult to get students to attend
in-person sessions. This has led researchers to attempt to
develop innovative ways of delivering BAIs to reach a larger
audience based on effective components of in-person BAIs
(Cronce et al., 2015).
Mobile message–based interventions
BAIs have traditionally been delivered in person or via
computer either in the laboratory or remotely delivered via
email (White, 2006). Mobile phones are now a ubiquitous
form of communication and represent an important alternative delivery method for delivering BAIs. According to the
latest data from the Pew Research Center (2017), 100% of
Americans ages 18–29 own a cell phone and 97% of cell
phone owners in this age group report using their cell phones
to send and receive text messages. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that personalized text messages are efficacious
in promoting physical activity (Hurling, 2007), weight loss
management (Gerber et al., 2009), smoking cessation (Free,
2009), diabetes self-management (Kim, 2007), and medication adherence (Cocosila, 2009).
Although research indicates that participants prefer text
messages to telephone calls and emails and rate this medium
positively (Moore et al., 2013), only a few published studies
in the alcohol literature have implemented a text-messaging
intervention. Suffoletto and colleagues (2014) conducted a
standardized, automated text-messaging–based intervention
with 765 risky drinking young adult emergency department
patients and found evidence of decreased alcohol consumption at 3-month follow-up. In addition, Suffoletto and
colleagues (2016) examined an automated text-messaging
program as a booster to in-person alcohol education classes
with college students mandated to complete alcohol education because they violated campus alcohol policies and
found decreases in binge drinking over the 6-week textmessaging period and that commitment to a low-risk drinking goal was associated with reductions in binge drinking
intentions.
Text messages may be a particularly advantageous way
to provide BAIs as they can be highly personalized to the
individual, accessed at any time that suits the individual’s
needs, and allow for engagement and interaction between
711
the interventionist and participant (Fjeldsoe et al., 2009).
By mitigating many potential limitations of traditional
web-based feedback—the lack of interaction with a clinician, and the minimal/uncertain comprehension and
processing of intervention material—text messaging interventions may represent a valuable method for reaching
high-risk drinkers as well as online students who may not
be willing to complete an in-person intervention session
(Irvine et al., 2012).
Current study
No previously published studies have examined the effects of a DAD-specific BAI among college student drinkers who report recent DAD. The overall goal of the current
study is to develop and evaluate a brief, mobile phone–based
DAD-focused intervention to decrease DAD among college
students. To do this, we delivered an intervention that included text-based motivational interviewing with a clinician
combined with personalized feedback elements specifically
targeting DAD. We evaluated the efficacy of the mobile
phone–based DAD-specific intervention compared to a mobile phone–based generic alcohol information intervention in
the context of a randomized two-group (alcohol information
vs. DAD-specific personalized feedback) pilot trial with 84
college students. Hypotheses are as follows:
Hypothesis 1. Students receiving the mobile phone–based
DAD intervention would report greater reductions in driving
after drinking (three or more drinks) at 3-month follow-up
compared to students receiving the mobile phone–based
alcohol information intervention.
Hypothesis 2. Students receiving the mobile phone–based
DAD intervention would report significantly greater reductions in the total number of drinks consumed before driving
at 3-month follow-up compared to students receiving the
mobile phone–based alcohol information intervention.
Method
Participants
Participants were undergraduate students from an ethnically diverse public university in the southern United States.
Students were eligible to participate if they were at least 18
years old, had access to a motor vehicle, and reported driving after drinking two or more drinks at least twice in the
past 3 months. If the participant met eligibility criteria, the
researcher contacted the participant, explained the project
procedures and confidentiality, and invited the participant to
participate in further phases of the study. See Figure 1 for a
flowchart illustrating recruitment, intervention assignment,
and follow-up assessment. Five hundred students (recruited
from a university-wide email system, the psychology subject
pool, undergraduate classrooms, and by posted flyers) com-
712
FIGURE 1.
links.
JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS / SEPTEMBER 2018
Flowchart illustrating recruitment, intervention, and follow-up assessment. All participation occurred remotely via text messages and email/web
pleted a brief (3–5 minute) screening survey to identify those
students eligible to participate in this study. One hundred
were eligible and 84 agreed to participate in the pilot trial
(67.1% women, 32.9% men; 18.3% freshmen, 19.5% sophomores, 34.1% juniors, and 28% seniors). The average age of
participants was 22.5 years, SD = 4.99; 64% were older than
21. The sample was ethnically diverse: 52.4% White, 42.7%
African American, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% American Indian, 1.2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and the
remainder not specifying their ethnicity.
TEETERS, SOLTIS, AND MURPHY
Measures
Demographics. Participants completed a brief questionnaire regarding age, race/ethnicity, and gender.
Alcohol use. Typical drinks per week were assessed by the
Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ; Collins et al., 1985).
Students were asked to estimate the total number of standard
drinks they consumed on each day during a typical week
in the past month. The DDQ is frequently used to assess
alcohol consumption patterns among college students and is
correlated with self-monitoring and retrospective drinking
measures (Kivlahan et al., 1990).
Impaired driving questions
Driving after drinking behavior. DAD was assessed with
questions adapted from prior studies that classified impaired
driving as driving after consuming three or more drinks
(LaBrie et al., 2011, 2012; Teeters & Murphy, 2015). Participants were also asked how many drinks they had consumed
before driving on their most recent driving episode.
Norms. An open-ended question asking participants to
estimate the percentage of drinkers at their university that
report past-3-month alcohol-impaired driving was used to
assess participants’ normative perception of peer driving
after drinking.
Procedures
All procedures were approved by the University Institutional Review Board, and participants were assured that all
data would be kept confidential and protected by a federal
Certificate of Confidentiality. Participants who met eligibility criteria and agreed to participate completed a remote
consent and baseline assessment session via mobile phone.
After completing the baseline measures, participants were
randomized (stratified by gender) to an alcohol information
condition (which provided nonpersonalized information on
alcohol use and driving after drinking) or a DAD BAI condition using a random number generator.
Participants were then sent a link via text message to
a mobile-optimized secure website containing either their
personalized feedback document or a generic alcohol information document. Participants were instructed to view either
the informational or the personalized feedback document
on their mobile phone and to respond to a number of questions embedded in the documents as a fidelity check. After
completing the BAI or information intervention (described
below), participants sent a text message indicating completion to the study administrator and were then emailed two
documents: the first document contained strategies for avoiding DAD and the second document contained information on
substance abuse resources available on campus and in the
local community. Participants were informed that they would
713
receive their choice of extra course credit or a $20 Amazon
gift card. A follow-up assessment to examine changes in the
outcome variables occurred 3 months after the intervention.
A text message containing the secure web survey was sent
to each participant. Participants received a $20 Amazon gift
card or extra credit for completing the follow-up assessment.
Driving after drinking mobile phone–based brief alcohol
intervention. Following completion of the baseline assessment measures, participants were asked to send a text message to the study administrator verifying completion of all
measures. Immediately following receipt of the participant’s
completion text message, the study administrator sent the
participant a link via text message to a secure mobileoptimized website containing DAD-specific personalized
feedback. Feedback included the following elements: a
personalized drinking profile and DAD profile, information
on social norms related to drinking and DAD, personalized
information on BAC before driving, costs associated with a
DUI citation, and information on combined drug and alcohol
impaired driving risk (if endorsed).
The goals of this session were to raise concern about
potential consequences relating to DAD, correct faulty normative perceptions of drinking and DAD behavior, provide
information about BAC in relation to driving, and assist students in strategizing means for avoiding future episodes of
DAD. Participants were instructed to view the personalized
feedback document on their mobile phone and to respond
to a number of questions embedded in the feedback document as a comprehension and fidelity check (e.g., “What
percentage of college students reported driving after drinking three or more drinks?”). Participants were instructed
that they would have an interactive text-message exchange
about the feedback with a study research assistant immediately after viewing the personalized feedback document
and were asked to send a text message to the study administrator when they were ready to respond to a series of text
messages about the feedback document. After confirming
receipt and processing of the feedback document, the study
administrator immediately1 sent the participant three text
messages containing the following open-ended questions
(see Table 1 for example conversation): (a) Of the information you just viewed, what was most interesting, (b) how
would receiving a DUI impact your future career goals, and
(c) what is your plan for driving after drinking in the future?
Consistent with MI style, based on participant responses to
these standardized open-ended questions, the interventionist
sent personalized follow-up text message reflections and
further open-ended questions to convey empathy, develop
discrepancy, and/or facilitate goal setting. All intervention1The
delivery of the intervention elements occurred immediately
after the study administrator received the confirmation text message
from the participant between 8 A.M. and 9 P.M. There were a few
instances when the study administrator received the text messages
after 9 P.M. and waited until the following morning to respond.
714
JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS / SEPTEMBER 2018
TABLE 1.
Example of (de-identified) interactive text messaging session
Interventionist: Great, thank you! (1) Of the information you just viewed, what was most interesting?
Participant: I had no idea that the cost for a DUI could add up to over $6,000
Interventionist: You were surprised that it was so expensive. How much did you assume it would cost?
Participant: I guess I never really put a lot of thought into it, but I never realized how many things and expenses
play into getting a DUI.
Interventionist: It really adds up! (2) How would receiving a DUI impact your future career goals?
Participant: Well, I plan to go to dental school after undergrad, so it would completely ruin that for me.
Interventionist: Receiving a DUI might make it much more difficult to get into dental school. (3) What is your
plan for driving after drinking in the future?
Participant: I really try my best to avoid that and I have only done that a very few number of times, so I’m just
going to cut that out completely. I try to call an Uber after I’ve been drinking at all so I will make sure to
do that every time.
Interventionist: It sounds like it’s really important to you to stay safe! In order to make sure you’re safe, you’ll
call an Uber if you’ve had too much to drive safely.
ists were trained in MI, and a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in MI supervised the text messaging
interactions. The interactive text messages were expected to
enhance intervention retention/processing and to provide an
interpersonal/interactive element that may enhance efficacy
(Walters et al., 2009).
Information condition. Students randomized to the information condition received standard information about
alcohol and DAD via a link to a mobile-optimized website
delivered through text message immediately on receipt of the
text message from the participant confirming completion of
all baseline measures. The informational document provided
detailed information about how alcohol and other drugs
affect the brain and nervous system, memory, and driving
performance and is similar to alcohol education programs
commonly found on college campuses. The alcohol-related
information was not personalized and the control intervention did not include goal setting or interactive text messagTABLE 2.
ing. Participants were instructed to view the informational
document on their mobile phones and to respond to a number of questions embedded in the informational document as
a comprehension and fidelity check. Students were provided
the opportunity to ask any questions related to the information provided via text message. (See Table 2 for a description of the components in the two conditions.)
Data analysis plan. Analyses were conducted using SPSS
Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk,
NY) and R version 2.12.0. Baseline descriptive characteristics of the overall sample were conducted, including demographic information (gender, age, ethnicity) as well as the
means and standard deviations for the primary outcome variables (alcohol-impaired driving, number of drinks consumed
before driving). In addition, t tests and chi square analyses
were performed to determine whether the intervention group
and the control group were significantly different at baseline
on any demographic or alcohol-related variables (Table 3).
Description of components included in each condition
Components of each condition
Drinking and driving
brief alcohol intervention condition
Alcohol information condition
Personalized feedback:
Educational information about the risks associated
with alcohol use:
• Review of the student’s weekly drinking pattern
• How alcohol enters the bloodstream
• Social norms information
• Effects of alcohol on the brain
• Estimated BAC before driving and risks associated • Factors that affect BAC
with BAC
• Fees for a DUI citation
• Risks associated with driving after drinking alcohol
• Strategies for avoiding driving after drinking
• Strategies for avoiding driving after drinking
• Campus and community-based alcohol-related
resources
• Campus and community alcohol-related resources
Notes: BAC = blood alcohol concentration; DUI = driving under the influence.
TEETERS, SOLTIS, AND MURPHY
TABLE 3.
715
Descriptive statistics for outcome variables and covariates: Baseline and 3-month follow-up
Variable
Gender
Male
Female
Ethnicity
White
Non-White
Total sample
(N = 76)
n (%)
Information
(n = 39)
n (%)
27 (35.5%)
49 (64.5%)
13 (35.1%)
24 (64.9%)
14 (35.9%)
25 (64.1%)
42 (55.3%)
34 (44.7%)
27 (73%)
10 (27%)
15 (38.5%)
24 (61.5%)
M (SD)
Age
Drinks per week
Past-3-month DAD
≥3 drinks
≥3 drinks, 3-month
follow-up
Total drinks
before driving
Total drinks before
driving—3-month
follow-up
BI
(n = 37)
n (%)
M (SD)
Statistical test:
χ2
Φ
0.01
-.01
9.15*
-.35*
M (SD)
t
df
22.55 (4.99)
7.97 (7.46)
22.14 (3.83)
8.89 (7.98)
22.95 (5.92)
7.13 (6.92)
-0.71
-0.28
74
74
3.96 (6.07)
5.38 (6.74)
2.62 (5.07)
1.83 (3.97)
1.62 (3.26)
2.03 (4.55)
-0.43
70
2.97 (1.95)
3.24 (1.53)
2.72 (2.28)
1.46
74
2.78 (2.59)
2.44 (1.94)
3.08 (3.04)
-1.05
71
2.83*
74
Note: DAD = driving after drinking.
The primary study analyses examined whether there was
a statistically significant difference between treatment groups
on changes in self-reported DAD. Repeated-measures mixed
modeling analyses were conducted to examine Hypothesis 1
(students receiving the DAD intervention will report greater
reductions in driving after drinking at 3-month follow-up
compared with control participants) and Hypothesis 2 (students receiving the DAD intervention will report significantly greater reductions in drinks consumed before driving
at 3-month follow-up compared with control participants).
Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) represent
an extension of linear mixed models to nonnormal data.
GLMM with a negative binomial distribution, which allows for overdispersion in count outcomes, were used for
outcomes of nonnormally distributed count data (i.e., total
number of times DAD). Driving after drinking three or more
drinks was found to be overdispersed (i.e., variance exceeds
mean). In addition, this variable contained greater than 15%
zeros. A negative binomial hurdle (NBH) model in which all
participants can be considered “at-risk” for an outcome was
chosen for these analyses because all individuals included in
the present study reported DAD at least twice in the past 3
months. The NBH regression involves first identifying sampling zeroes (the “hurdle” part of the model) followed by examining those who cross the hurdle (values > 0; “binomial”
part of the model). Thus, our analyses separately predicted
sampling zeroes (i.e., not endorsing the outcome variable)
and counts > 0 (i.e., outcome variable > 0). For each model
tested, one of the primary outcome variables served as the
dependent variable. Repeated-measures mixed models analyses were conducted for number of drinks consumed before
driving (normally distributed). Cohen’s D effect sizes (for
the mean differences between baseline and follow-up) were
computed and interpreted using the conventional metrics of
d = 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 indicating small, medium, and large
effects (Cohen, 1992).
Results
Baseline characteristics
Overall, participants reported driving an average of 3.96
times (SD = 6.07) after consuming three or more drinks in
the past 3 months. All participants (100%) reported driving after drinking two or more drinks and 72.4% reported
driving after consuming three or more drinks in the past 3
months. Participants reported drinking an average of 12.0
standard drinks (SD = 16.96) in a typical week and engaging in an average of 3.66 binge episodes (SD = 3.73) in the
past month. The intervention group reported driving after
drinking three or more drinks significantly more times than
the control group (Table 3). Approximately 84% of participants in the intervention group and 54% of participants in
the control group reported at least two instances of driving
after drinking three or more drinks and at baseline. There
was also a significant baseline difference in ethnicity. There
were no other significant baseline differences. Seventy-six
participants completed the 3-month follow-up (91.7% overall
follow-up rate).
Analysis of study outcomes
Results for the mixed-models analyses are presented in
Tables 4 and 5. Gender, age, and ethnicity were included as
covariates in all initial models. However, results revealed that
these variables were not statistically significant and did not
716
JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL AND DRUGS / SEPTEMBER 2018
TABLE 4. Negative binomial hurdle mixed model results for driving after
three or more drinks
95% CI for RR
Variable
RRa
B
Lower
Upper
Count submodel
Intercept
Condition
Time
Condition × Time
3.22
0.64
0.68
1.22
1.17
-0.44
-0.38
0.20
1.93
0.28
0.29
0.44
5.42
1.31
1.31
3.78
ORa
B
Lower
Upper
3.74
0.07
0.02
1.02
6.47
1.18
0.44
38.86
TABLE 5. Repeated measures mixed model results for eBAC and drinks
before driving
Outcome
Number of
drinks before driving
Effects
Numerator Denominator
df
df
Time
Condition
Condition ×
Time
F
p
1
1
71.88
74.38
0.8
4.46
.38
.04
1
71.88
4.63
.04
95% CI for OR
Logit submodel
Intercept
Condition
Time
Condition × Time
4.22
0.3
0.11
6.11
1.44
-1.22
-2.22**
1.81*
Notes: B = coefficient on linear-predictor scale (i.e., log of outcome); RR =
rate ratio; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. aRRs, ORs, and 95%
CI are unit-specific (or conditional) estimates, as opposed to population
average (or marginal) estimates.
*p < .05; **p < .01.
change the pattern of results. As a result, they were removed
from the final models.
Driving after drinking. GLMM with a negative binomial
distribution were used to determine if driving after consuming “three or more drinks” differed over time for participants
who received the DAD intervention versus those who received the information intervention.2 There were significant
reductions in DAD over time and a significant interaction
between condition and time for driving after drinking three
or more drinks. The DAD intervention was associated with
larger reductions in the likelihood of driving after drinking
three or more drinks than the information intervention at the
3-month follow-up (ds = 0.70 and 0.12, respectively).
Total drinks consumed before driving. There was a significant interaction between condition and time, F(1, 71.88)
= 4.63, p = .04. Consistent with this Treatment Condition ×
Time interaction, the DAD intervention was associated with
larger effect size reduction in number of drinks consumed
before driving than the education intervention at the 3-month
follow-up (ds = 0.46 and 0.13, respectively).
Discussion
Alcohol-impaired driving is a significant public health
concern, and college students are more likely than any other
age group to report driving under the influence of alcohol
(Hingson et al., 2017). The purpose of the present study was
2We
also conducted supplemental repeated-measures mixed
modeling analyses to examine change in driving after drinking from
baseline to the 3-month follow-up allowing us to examine shortterm intervention outcomes for all of the participants who were
randomized to an intervention (an intent-to-treat analysis). These
outcomes were functionally identical to the repeated-measures
analyses described above in terms of statistical significance and
effect size.
to develop and evaluate a brief, mobile phone–based personalized feedback and interactive text messaging intervention
for college students who reported recent DAD. The overall
pattern of results provides initial support for the efficacy of
this intervention. Specific findings are discussed below in
conjunction with study limitations.
Number of times driving after drinking
Consistent with previous research examining the impact
of in-person BAIs on DAD in emergency room settings
(D’Onofrio et al., 2008; Schermer et al., 2006), with DUI
offenders (Wells-Parker et al., 1995), and among adolescent
and college-aged drinkers (Monti et al., 1999; Schaus, 2009;
Teeters et al., 2015), the DAD intervention delivered in the
present study successfully reduced DAD behaviors over time
compared with a generic alcohol information intervention.
Specifically, students in the mobile phone–based DAD intervention condition reported reduced likelihood of driving
after drinking two or more drinks at follow-up. However,
there were no significant differences between intervention
and control on counts of driving after drinking three or more
drinks among students who reported driving after drinking
three or more drinks at baseline.
Total drinks consumed before driving
Participants who received the mobile phone–based DAD
intervention significantly reduced the total number of drinks
they consumed before driving compared with those receiving
the information intervention at 3-month follow-up. Students
receiving the DAD BAI decreased their consumption before
driving on their last DAD occasion by approximately one
standard drink, whereas students in the information condition increased their reported number of drinks before driving. Although there are a number of factors that influence
intoxication level before driving, the reductions shown by the
intervention group from three standard drinks to two standard
drinks may reflect a clinically meaningful reduction in risk.
Implications
Overall, the results of the present study indicate that
a brief, mobile phone–based intervention with personal-
TEETERS, SOLTIS, AND MURPHY
ized feedback and interactive text messaging shows some
evidence of reducing likelihood of DAD and the number of
drinks consumed before driving among a sample of college
students with a previous pattern of DAD. This study extends
previous research on interventions for DAD, which have
traditionally included general samples of heavy drinkers,
accident victims, and individuals arrested for DUI. In contrast, the present study screened and recruited participants
based on DUI risk (reporting recent DAD). This allowed us
to directly target DAD among those arguably most at risk for
experiencing consequences related to DAD.
The present study also adds to the literature on mobile
phone–based interventions. Only a few published studies in
the alcohol literature have implemented text messaging as
an intervention, and this is the first to use interactive texting
with a study counselor. In a young adult emergency room
sample, Suffoletto and colleagues (2014, 2015) found reductions in heavy episodic drinking episodes and drinks consumed per drinking episode in response to a text-messaging
intervention at 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month follow-ups.
In addition, Suffoletto and colleagues (2016) demonstrated
reductions in binge drinking during a 6-week text-messaging
intervention. The results of the present study complement
and extend these findings by demonstrating some evidence
that a mobile phone–based personalized feedback and interactive text-messaging based intervention can reduce driving
after drinking three or more drinks and the number of drinks
consumed before driving in a sample of college students.
In addition, web-based feedback interventions have been
criticized because of potential concerns about variance in
the actual amount of processing and comprehension of the
information presented in the feedback document. Of note,
web-based or feedback-only interventions have demonstrated
smaller effect sizes than in-person interventions at followups longer than 4 months (Cadigan et al., 2015). To negate
concerns about the lack of interaction with a clinician and
the minimal/uncertain comprehension and processing of intervention material that might occur with remote web-based
interventions, interactive text messages were used in the
present study to integrate theoretically active MI elements
including reflections intended to convey empathy and tailored open-ended questions intended to develop discrepancy
and facilitate goal setting. Because this intervention did not
compare a DAD feedback only condition to the DAD + brief
text conversation condition, it is not possible to determine
the extent to which the interactive text messages used in this
study were responsible for reductions in DAD behaviors.
However, the effect sizes generated in this study are larger
than effect sizes cited in other studies of electronically delivered BAIs, potentially suggesting that the interactive component used in this study may have resulted in larger effect
sizes than non-interactive text-based studies (see Mason et
al., 2015, for meta-analysis). However, because no research
currently exists directly comparing interactive text-based
717
interventions to non-interactive text-based interventions, the
previous assertion is speculative and needs to be empirically
tested in future studies.
Limitations
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting these findings. Because of the design of this pilot trial,
it is not possible to parse out which parts of the intervention were most potent. Dismantling studies are necessary
to elucidate which elements of the personalized feedback
are most salient. In addition, it is not clear from this study
whether interactive text messages are a crucial part of the
intervention because this study did not compare a DAD
feedback only condition to the DAD feedback + interactive
texts condition. Future research is also needed to determine
how this intervention compares to an in-person personalized feedback intervention targeting DAD and to standard
in-person alcohol BAIs. All alcohol use data were collected
via retrospective self-reports and may have been subject to
biases. Significant baseline differences between the intervention and the control group were found for the number
of times driving after drinking “three or more drinks.” Unfortunately, the baseline differences on the number of times
driving after drinking outcome makes it difficult to rule out
the possibility that regression to the mean influenced these
specific study results. Last, future studies should use a longer
follow-up period to determine if the observed effects persist
beyond the 3-month follow-up.
Despite these limitations, this study has potential public
health implications and makes a contribution to the DAD
and technology-based intervention literatures. The findings
of this study provide preliminary support for the short-term
efficacy of a mobile phone–based intervention including
personalized feedback and interactive text-messaging for
reducing DAD among college students.
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