The Efficacy of an Event-Specific, Text Message, Personalized Drinking Feedback Intervention

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Tailgating before football games is a high-risk behavior for increased alcohol consumption and related problems.
• Personalized drinking feedback interventions (PFI) have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing alcohol use.
• Understanding event-specific interventions is crucial for targeted prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an event-specific, text message PFI on tailgating alcohol outcomes.
• To determine if intervention effects on tailgating generalize to typical alcohol use at a 1-month follow-up.

Main Methods:

• College students (N=130) reporting tailgating and binge drinking were randomized to receive either an event-specific PFI via text message or a control condition.
• Intervention delivered on the morning of a home football game.
• Multilevel modeling analyzed the impact of the intervention on tailgating and 1-month typical alcohol use outcomes.

Main Results:

• Participants receiving the text message PFI reported lower estimated peak blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) and consumed fewer drinks while tailgating compared to controls.
• At the 1-month follow-up, the PFI group showed lower peak eBAC and fewer alcohol-related problems.
• Perceived tailgating drinking norms mediated the intervention's effect on both immediate and delayed alcohol outcomes.

Conclusions:

• An event-specific, text message PFI shows preliminary efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption and problems associated with tailgating.
• The intervention's positive effects extend to typical drinking patterns one month post-intervention.
• Event-specific text message PFI represents a viable tool for the prevention and intervention of alcohol misuse in college students.