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Development of an SMS-based alcohol intervention program for same sex attracted women using an intervention mapping
Rachel Bush1, Petra K Staiger1, Ilona M McNeill2
1School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
Background:
Studies indicate that same-sex attracted women (SSAW) who engage in problem drinking often do not seek support. This is at least partially due to a lack of SSAW-tailored alcohol programs. This paper describes the co-development of a short message service (SMS) alcohol program culturally tailored for SSAW.
Method:
We applied the systematic stages of the Intervention Mapping framework to guide development, and used a combination of literature reviews and focus group discussions.
Results:
The initial needs assessment identified three change objectives: 1) reduce alcohol consumption, 2) improved wellbeing, and 3) increased help-seeking, and three change determinants: a) motivation, b) self-regulatory ability, and c) social support. Based on a selection of relevant BCTs we then developed 70 initial SMS statements, 37 of which were selected through codesign for the final program. The resulting program (referred to as The Step One Program) consists of one to two daily SMS messages over a four-week period.
Conclusions:
The Step One Program is the first published SMS-based alcohol intervention for SSAW. During development, SSAW highlighted increased anonymity and better accessibility as compared to face-to-face services as well as the inclusion of SSAW and LGBT specific resources and culturally inclusive messaging as key benefits.
