TITLE:
Feasibility of a Fully Automated Multiple Session Alcohol Intervention to University Students, Using Different Modes of Electronic Delivery—The TOPHAT 1 Study
AUTHORS:
Bendtsen Marcus, Bendtsen Preben
KEYWORDS:
Excessive Alcohol Drinking; University Students; Fully Automated Intervention; Health Behavior Change
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Software Engineering and Applications,
Vol.6 No.10A,
October
4,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: In recent years more and more
electronic health behaviour interventions have been developed in order to reach
individuals with an unhealthy behaviour such as risky drinking. This is
especially relevant in university students who are among those who most
frequently are risky drinkers. This study explored the acceptability and
feasibility, in an unselected group of university students, of a fully
automated multiple session alcohol intervention offering different modes of
delivery such as email, SMS and Android. Material and Methods: A total of 11,283 students at Link?ping University
in Sweden were invited to perform a single session alcohol intervention and
among those accepting this (4916 students) a total of 24.7% accepted to further
participate in the extended multiple intervention lasting 3 - 6 weeks. The students could choose
mode of delivery, total length of the intervention (between 3 - 6 weeks) and number of messages per
week (3, 5, or 7 per week).
A follow-up questionnaire was applied after the intervention to which 82.7% responded. Results: most students wanted to receive the
messages by email with the shortest intervention length (3 weeks) and as few
messages as possible per week (3 messages). However, no major difference was seen regarding
satisfaction with the length and frequency of the intervention despite chosen
length and frequency. Most students also expressed satisfaction with the
content of the messages and would recommend the intervention to a fellow
student in need of reducing drinking. Discussion and Conclusion: Based upon feedback from the
students, a multiple push-based intervention appears to be feasible to offer
students interested in additional support after a single session alcohol
intervention. In a forthcoming study we will further explore the optimal mode
of delivery and length of intervention and number of messages per week.