Randomized Controlled Trial of a Minimal Versus Extended Internet-based Intervention for Problem Drinkers

Alcohol is one of the leading contributors to premature mortality and disability. Most people with alcohol problems will never seek treatment. There is a need to develop alternate ways to help problem drinkers outside of formal treatment settings.

One promising strategy is Internet-based interventions for problem drinkers. The first randomized controlled trial found that the investigators could reduce alcohol consumption by about six drinks per week at a six-month follow-up using a minimal, personalized feedback Internet-based intervention. The investigators second randomized trial demonstrated that an extended Internet-based intervention that contained a range of cognitive-behavioural and relapse prevention tools could produce greater reductions in problem drinking compared to that provided by the same minimal intervention at a six-month follow-up. Building upon this research, the current project will assess whether this extended Internet-based intervention can have a sustained impact on problem drinking. Specifically, the major objective of this project is to conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing the impact of an extended Internet-based self-help intervention for problem drinkers to a minimal Internet-based intervention in the general population of problem drinkers over a two year period.

Problem drinking participants will be recruited through media advertisements across Canada and will be randomly assigned to the minimal or extended Internet-based interventions. Six-month, twelve-month and two-year drinking outcomes will be compared between experimental conditions. It is predicted that participants receiving the extended Internet intervention will display sustained improved drinking outcomes compared to participants in the minimal Internet intervention condition. This programmatic line of research will advance the science of Internet-mediated intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Consumption; Hazardous Alcohol Consumption
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Check Your Drinking; Behavioral: Alcohol Help Centre

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 490
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2S1
      • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:•Resident of Canada

• 18 years of age or over
• A score of 8 or over on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
• Indicate an interest in receiving self-help materials
• Have home access to the Internet
• Are willing to participate in follow-up at six month, twelve month and 2 year intervals

Exclusion Criteria:None

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Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Check Your Drinking screener; Internet based program of lower intensity as compared to the "Alcohol Help Centre. It was designed to assesses drinking patterns, increase self-awareness of individual triggers, and set and achieve goals regarding abstinence.	Behavioral: Check Your Drinking
Experimental: Alcohol Help Centre; Internet based program of higher intensity as compared to the "Check Your Drinking" intervention. It was designed to assesses drinking patterns, increase self-awareness of individual triggers, and set and achieve goals regarding abstinence.	Behavioral: Alcohol Help Centre

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in AUDIT-C from baseline	A composite measure of three quantity/frequency drinking items (number of drinks per drinking day; frequency of alcohol consumption; frequency of 5+ drinking days). Developed by the world health organization.	6 months, 1 year, 2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in number of drinks in a typical week from baseline	Sum of number of drinks consumed in a typical week	6 months, 1 year, 2 years
Change in highest number of drinks on one occasion from baseline	Greatest amount drunk on one occasion	6 months, 1 year, 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cunningham JA, Shorter GW, Murphy M, Kushnir V, Rehm J, Hendershot CS. Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Versus Extended Internet Intervention for Problem Drinkers. Int J Behav Med. 2017 Oct;24(5):760-767. doi: 10.1007/s12529-016-9604-5.
• Cunningham JA, Hendershot CS, Rehm J. Randomized controlled trial of a minimal versus extended Internet-based intervention for problem drinkers: study protocol. BMC Public Health. 2015 Jan 21;15:21. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1347-8.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 7, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): June 11, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 28, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 25, 2017
• Last Verified: March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Drinking Behavior; Alcohol Drinking
• Other Study ID Numbers: CFP 285651