Delivering Personalized Protective Behavioral Drinking Strategies via a Smartphone Intervention: a Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Alcohol harm reduction
• Young adult health

Background:

• Smartphone-based interventions show promise for minimizing alcohol-related harm in young adults.
• This pilot study is the first to assess a personalized smartphone intervention for alcohol harm reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the benefits and feasibility of a personalized alcohol harm-minimization intervention delivered via smartphones to young adults.
• To assess the impact on risky drinking frequency, alcohol-related harms, and protective behavioral strategies (PBS).

Main Methods:

• A single-blind, randomized controlled trial with 45 young adults comparing an intervention app to a control app.
• Outcomes measured at baseline and post-intervention included risky drinking frequency, harms, and PBS use.
• Usability was evaluated using the Enlight framework and one-on-one interviews.

Main Results:

• No significant reduction in risky drinking or alcohol-related harms was observed between groups.
• The intervention group showed an increase in the application of PBS in drinking contexts.
• The app was rated highly usable, with some feedback on strategy repetition.

Conclusions:

• The smartphone intervention was highly usable and increased the use of harm minimization strategies among young adults.
• While promising, the intervention did not significantly mitigate risky drinking behaviors.
• Further research is needed to refine the intervention for greater impact on risky drinking.