Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol Intervention for High School Students

This study evaluates the efficacy of the eCHECKUP TO GO as an intervention to reduce underage drinking and the associated negative consequences among high school seniors. The aim of this project is to provide a brief, low cost intervention that can be easily disseminated as a school-based intervention to address this important public health problem.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Underage Drinking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: eCHECKUP TO GO

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 311
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Idaho
    • Boise, Idaho, United States, 83725
      • Boise State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 18 years (ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Senior enrolled in high school sites

Exclusion Criteria:

• none

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: eCHECKUP TO GO; Brief, web-based alcohol intervention	Behavioral: eCHECKUP TO GO; eCHECKUP TO GO is a personalized normative feedback intervention intended to help participants make better choices about alcohol use by changing beliefs about alcohol, alcohol expectancies, and perceptions of peer drinking
NO_INTERVENTION: Control; Assessment only

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weekly Drinking	Daily Drinking Questionnaire Weekly drinking was assessed with the question "Given that it is a typical week, please write the number of drinks you probably would have each day." A response scale is provided for each day of the week (e.g., Monday__, Tuesday__, etc.)." Weekly drinking was calculated by combining the reports for the seven days of the week (sum of the 7 days). Minimum = 0; Maximum = none Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = 26 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline, 1 month follow-up, and 6-month follow up
Peak Drinking Quantity	Quantity ⁄Frequency ⁄Peak Questionnaire Peak drinking quantity was assessed with the question "What is the most number of drinks that you have consumed on any given night in the past month?" Minimum = 0; Maximum = none Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = 25 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline, 1 month follow-up, and 6-month follow up
Frequency of Alcohol Use	Quantity ⁄Frequency ⁄Peak Questionnaire Frequency of alcohol use was assessed with the question "How often do you use alcohol?" with responses provided on an 8-point Likert scale with options ranging from "0" to "7" ("Do not drink alcohol" to "Every day"). Items were reverse scores so higher scores represent higher levels of drinking frequency. Minimum = 0; Maximum = 7 Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = 7 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline, 1 month follow-up, and 6-month follow up
Blood Alcohol Concentration	Blood alcohol concentration was calculated using the Widmark Formula (1932/1981); BAC = [Alcohol consumed in grams / (Body weight in grams x r)] x 100. In this formula, "r" is the gender constant. Minimum = 0; Maximum = none Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = .62 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline, 1 month follow-up, and 6-month follow up
Heavy Episodic Drinking	Heavy Episodic Drinking is defined as having 5 or more drinks in a row for males and 3 or more for females in a 2 hour period in the past month. The number of drinks was based on research by Donovan (2009) establishing cut-points for children and adolescents. Participants were asked: "Males: Think back over the last two weeks. How many times have you had 5 or more drinks in a two hour period?" "Females: Think back over the last two weeks. How many times have you had 3 or more drinks in a two hour period?" Minimum = 0; Maximum = none Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = .76 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline, 1 month follow-up, and 6-month follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Alcohol-Related Consequences	Rutgers Alcohol Problems Inventory Alcohol-related consequences were measured using the Rutgers Alcohol Problems Inventory. The Rutgers Alcohol Problems Inventory is a 23-item scale. Participants were asked "How many times have the following scenarios happened to you while you were consuming alcohol or as a result of your drinking in the past 30 days." Responses were measured on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (more than 10 times). A total consequence score is created by summing the 23 items. Minimum = 0; Maximum = 92 Sample score range: Minimum = 0; Maximum = 24 Higher scores are worse outcomes	Baseline and 6-month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boise State University
• Collaborators: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Diana Doumas, PhD, Boise State Univeristy

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Doumas DM, Esp S, Turrisi R, Bond L, Flay B. Efficacy of the eCHECKUP TO GO for High School Seniors: Sex Differences in Risk Factors, Protective Behavioral Strategies, and Alcohol Use. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2020 Mar;81(2):135-143. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2020.81.135.
• Doumas DM, Esp S, Turrisi R, Bond L. A Randomized Controlled Trial of the eCHECKUP to GO for High School Seniors across the Academic Year. Subst Use Misuse. 2021;56(13):1923-1932. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1958862. Epub 2021 Aug 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): September 15, 2018
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): April 1, 2019
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): April 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 30, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 30, 2018
• First Posted (ACTUAL): August 3, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): April 1, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2021
• Last Verified: March 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Drinking Behavior; Alcohol Drinking; Underage Drinking
• Other Study ID Numbers: 023880; R21AA023880 (NIH)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No