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Tag: alcohol
08/07/2023

Identifying Desired Features That Would Be Acceptable and Helpful in a Wrist-Worn Biosensor–Based Alcohol Intervention: Interview Study Among Adults Who Drink Heavily

Richards VL, Rajendran S, Cook RL, Leeman RF, Wang Y, Prins C, Cook C. Identifying Desired Features That Would Be Acceptable and Helpful in a Wrist-Worn Biosensor–Based Alcohol Intervention: Interview Study Among Adults Who Drink Heavily. J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e38713. doi: 10.2196/38713

Researchers identified desired features that could help people reduce their drinking in a wrist-worn biosensor-based alcohol intervention for adults who drink heavily. Wearable alcohol biosensors can passively and continuously measure ethanol excreted through the skin. Participants were at least 40 years old, drank at least twice per week, and were interested in reducing their drinking, and were recruited via an alcohol contingency study, a contact registry, and referrals. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted on Zoom with 20 participants. Interviews included questions about participants’ thoughts about a wrist-worn biosensor, potential helpfulness to reduce drinking, and what information they would want to receive from the biosensor. Participants reported five major desired feature themes: 1) comfort and look of the biosensor, 2) personalized prompts and feedback, 3) time wearing the biosensor, 4) sharing data with friends, family, and providers, and 5) incorporation of mental health support. In general, participants were open to wearing the biosensor, but were only inclined to engage with the biosensor content if had they were motivation to reduce drinking. Findings also indicated that a mobile app that stores and interprets sensor data for participants to track drinking patterns could be beneficial. Engaging potential end-users to identify desire intervention features can inform and optimize development of interventions that use wrist-worn biosensors to reduce alcohol use.

06/12/2023

Findings From the Step Up, Test Up Study of an Electronic Screening and Brief Intervention for Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents and Young Adults Presenting for HIV Testing: Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial

Karnik N, Kuhns L, Hotton A, Del Vecchio N, McNulty M, Schneider J, Donenberg G, Keglovitz Baker K, Diskin R, Muldoon A, Rivera J, Summersett Williams F, Garofalo R. Findings From the Step Up, Test Up Study of an Electronic Screening and Brief Intervention for Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents and Young Adults Presenting for HIV Testing: Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial. JMIR Ment Health 2023;10:e43653. DOI: 10.2196/43653

This study tested the efficacy of a fully automated electronic screening and brief intervention, Step Up, Test Up, to reduce alcohol misuse among adolescents and young adults in community-based HIV testing environments in Chicago. Effects on sexual risk and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention were also examined. Three hundred twenty-nine participants aged 16-25 years who identified as a man or transgender woman who has sex with men and reported moderate to high alcohol use were randomly assigned to a brief single-visit intervention or attention control condition (modules of similar length on promotion of diet and nutrition). The Step Up, Test Up intervention used a motivational interviewing approach to deliver lessons on 11 topics focused on alcohol use. Data were collected at 1, 3, 6, and 12-months post intervention. There were no significant group differences in alcohol use outcomes over time. There was a significant but small reduction in condomless anal sex under the influence of alcohol and drugs at 12 months compared to 3 months among participants in the intervention group relative to the control group (incidence rate ratio=0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.44). There were no significant group differences in sexual risk and PrEP engagement. The relative lack of effect of the intervention on alcohol misuse and associated risks may reflect a need for cultural tailoring and more dynamic and engaging components in the intervention.

06/06/2023

Implementation and workflow strategies for integrating digital therapeutics for alcohol use disorders into primary care: a qualitative study

Mogk JM, Matson TE, Caldeiro RM, Garza Mcwethy AM, Beatty T, Sevey BC, Hsu CW, Glass JE. Implementation and workflow strategies for integrating digital therapeutics for alcohol use disorders into primary care: a qualitative study. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2023 May 8;18(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13722-023-00387-w.

This study aimed to identify implementation needs and strategy design considerations for integrating digital therapeutics for alcohol use disorders (AUD) into primary care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with clinicians, care delivery leaders, and implementation staff (N=16). All participants had experience implementing digital therapeutics for depression or substance use disorders in primary care in the United States. Participants were asked to share successes and challenges from implementation efforts and how these experiences could inform the implementation of digital therapeutics for AUD. Common themes were identified across health system staff roles. Participants were committed to digital therapeutics for AUD and anticipated high patient demand for such treatments. Reported facilitators of successful implementation included: 1) use implementation strategies that align with the needs of patients with varying AUD severity, 2) use strategies that minimize burden on clinicians, and 3) offer digital therapeutics as an adjunct to other treatments for AUD. Other helpful implementation strategies included clinician training and electronic health record support. Findings inform future efforts to implement digital interventions for AUD in primary care.

04/10/2023

Combined Laboratory and Field Test of a Smartphone Breath Alcohol Device and Blood Alcohol Concentration Estimator to Facilitate Moderate Drinking Among Young Adults

Leeman RF, Berey BL, Frohe T, Rowland BHP, Martens MP, Fucito LM, Stellefson M, Nixon SJ, & O’Malley SS. (2022). A combined laboratory and field test of a smartphone breath alcohol device and blood alcohol concentration estimator to facilitate moderate drinking among young adults. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36(6), 710–723. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000780

This paper evaluated feasibility, usability, acceptability, and efficacy of blood alcohol content (BAC) related moderate drinking technology during a laboratory alcohol self-administration session and follow-up field test in real-world situations. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 technologies to use during a laboratory alcohol drinking session: (1) breathalyzer alcohol device connected to an app, (2) BAC estimator app where participants make entries about drinking behavior, and (3) a self-texting control condition where participants send a text after each alcoholic drink consumed. All participants completed a laboratory alcohol-drinking session while using the assigned technology procedure. After this session, participants were instructed to use all three forms of technologies for two weeks. At the end of the field-testing period, acceptability, usability, and perspectives on all three technologies were The breathalyzer and BAC estimator app both had favorable acceptability and usability ratings. Participants used at least one form of technology on 67% of drinking days. Based on self-reported data, as also significantly lower during the field-test period than at baseline. Overall, combining lab and field methods to test drinking technologies was feasible among young adults. Results support the potential of mobile interventions to help young adults in motivating behavior change given their willingness to use apps.

03/10/2023

‘Simple but Effective’: Colombia Turns to Algorithms to Bolster Mental Health Services

Article Excerpt: At the age of 70, Carmen Suárez* is finally coming to terms with an event that happened five decades ago. It was a trauma that changed the course of her life and left her with depression. “I used to cry uncontrollably,” she says. “I was told to seek help, but I had neither the time nor the money. I realise now that I was stuck reliving the incident.” Over the course of a year, the Diada project (detection and integrated care for depression and alcohol use), an innovative project aimed at identifying people with or at risk of developing a mental health or alcohol use disorder, helped her recover.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2jrfnkdt

Article Source: The Guardian

02/07/2023

AI and Genetics Could Help Doctors Treat Alcohol Addiction, Research Shows

Article Excerpt: Imagine a patient has been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, and their health care provider is reviewing medication options to help them curb their drinking. The provider asks the patient some basic questions, like alcohol cravings and stress levels, and collects a blood sample for genetic testing. A computer model uses this information to determine which medication would most likely support the patient with managing their alcohol use. With the help of the model, the provider gives a medication recommendation that is the best fit for their patient.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/58msbx3c

Article Source: Medical Xpress

01/06/2023

Deep Learning Algorithm Can Hear Alcohol in Voice

Article Excerpt: La Trobe University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that could work alongside expensive and potentially biased breath testing devices in pubs and clubs. The technology can instantly determine whether a person has exceeded the legal alcohol limit purely on using a 12-seconds recording of their voice.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4uhjh4kn

Article Source: Neuroscience News

12/12/2022

Quit Genius Reports Promising Data in Pilot Study of Integrated Digital Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Treatment

Article Excerpt: Quit Genius, the world’s first digital clinic for treating multiple substance addictions, today announced results from a pilot study of integrated alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. The study, one of the most promising of its kind to date, shows the potential for combined behavioral health and medication management delivered via telehealth to dramatically improve outcomes and boost access to quality substance use care. A fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) building on the initial success of the pilot investigation is now underway.

Full Articlehttps://tinyurl.com/4b4ywt2h

Article Source: Street Insider

11/14/2022

Exposure to Television Alcohol Brand Appearances as Predictor of Adolescent Brand Affiliation and Drinking Behaviors

Gabrielli J, Corcoran E, Genis S, McClure AC, Tanski SE. Exposure to Television Alcohol Brand Appearances as Predictor of Adolescent Brand Affiliation and Drinking Behaviors. J Youth Adolescence 51, 100–113 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01397-0

This study described alcohol brand depictions in television and evaluated the impact of exposure to these depictions on adolescent drinking outcomes. Ten popular scripted television series, broadcast, cable, or online, were content coded for alcohol depictions. Appearances of alcohol brands were coded based on logo/name and salience (how notable the brand appearance was in the series). Adolescents and young adults aged 15-23 years old (N=2,012) were recruited to complete online surveys and interviews at baseline and follow-up one year later. During the interviews and surveys, alcohol consumption, brand affiliation (usual brand to drink), and television exposure to alcohol brands (based on how often they watched the ten content coded series) was assessed. On average, alcohol brands appeared more than twice per episode and Budweiser brand appeared the most often across all television series. The majority (77%) of adolescents reported having seen at least one of the ten television series. Adjusting for covariates (i.e., peer/parent drinking, sensation seeking, alcohol brand exposure in movies), higher exposure to brand appearances in television was associated with alcohol outcomes. Higher number of television alcohol brand appearances was associated with adolescent brand affiliation; television brand exposure was associated with drinking initiation and harmful drinking behaviors. Overall, these results suggest the influence that marketing, through streaming media, has on youth viewers’ alcohol use behavior. Future studies should assess mechanisms such as subjective norms and beliefs to better inform interventions that might mitigate the risks associated with media depictions of alcohol. Additionally, alcohol marketing should be further evaluated to consider strategies to limit the negative impact of media exposure.