A brief experimental alcohol beverage-tailored program for adolescents

The objective of this study was to develop and test a brief, experimental alcohol preventive intervention matched to the use of specific alcohol beverages among adolescents.

A total of 232 high school students who drank within the last year participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental intervention or a minimal intervention control. Four-month postintervention data are reported.

Overall multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were significant (p's < .05) on risk factors (influenceability, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and perceived peer prevalence) for three of six beverages (beer, wine and distilled spirits), with a fourth, malt liquor, approaching significance (p = .06). These tests showed intervention adolescents experiencing less risk for alcohol use than control adolescents. In addition, whereas the overall MANCOVA for malt liquor use was not significant, univariate analyses were significant for 30-day frequency (F = 5.69, 1/195 df, p = .01) and 30-day quantity of malt liquor use (F = 4.03, 1/195 df, p = .04) with intervention adolescents showing less consumption than control adolescents. A post hoc analysis examining differential intervention effects using preintervention drug use as a factor (i.e., 30-day cigarette or marijuana use) showed a significant overall factorial MANCOVA interaction (F = 6.90, 4/189 df, p = .000), with drug-using intervention adolescents consuming cigarettes and marijuana less frequently than drug-using control adolescents at postintervention.

The findings of this study suggest the brief, beverage-tailored intervention reduced certain risk factors mediating individual alcohol beverage use and consumption of malt liquor (4 months after intervention) and may have reduced the frequency of cigarette and marijuana use among those already using drugs.