Online personalized normative feedback intervention to reduce event-specific drinking during Mardi Gras

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• High-risk drinking events like Mardi Gras are linked to problematic college student drinking.
• Online personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions effectively reduce college drinking.
• Limited research exists on event-specific PNF's impact on drinking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a Mardi Gras-specific PNF intervention on drinking behaviors and normative beliefs.
• To determine if event-specific PNF can reduce problematic drinking during high-risk events.
• To explore the mediating role of normative beliefs in the intervention's effect.

Main Methods:

• Undergraduate students intending to drink during Mardi Gras were randomly assigned to receive online PNF or control feedback.
• Participants were assessed for drinking behaviors and normative beliefs.
• Statistical analyses examined intervention effects, mediation, and moderation by baseline drinking.

Main Results:

• The PNF group reported significantly lower normative beliefs at follow-up compared to the control group.
• Lower follow-up normative beliefs mediated the relationship between PNF and reduced peak estimated blood alcohol content (eBAC).
• PNF was more effective in reducing eBAC for heavier baseline drinkers.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to demonstrate that an event-specific, online PNF intervention can decrease drinking during a major holiday.
• The intervention reduced event-specific drinking by altering event-specific normative beliefs.
• Findings suggest PNF is a viable strategy for mitigating alcohol-related harm during high-risk events.