Bewick BM, West R, Gill J, O’May F, Mulern B, Barkham M, Hill AJ. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2010. 12(5):e59. PMCID: PMC3057315.
Summary: In this randomized controlled trial, 1112 e-recruited students who endorsed drinking alcohol ‘at least every 6 months’ were assigned to: 1) a control group (assessments only), 2) immediate access to Unitcheck (weeks 1-7), or 3) delayed access to Unitcheck (weeks 8-15). Students were assessed at baseline, 1-, 8-, 16-, and 24-weeks for average number of drinks per occasion and average number of drinks over the last week.
Both the immediate and delayed intervention groups showed a significant decrease from baseline to follow-up in average number of drinks over the last week, but there was no significant difference in number of drinks per occasion. A main effect of time on past week quantity such that there was a significant decrease between time 1 and all other time points but no significant differences between time 2, time 3 or time 4 for intervention group participants. No differences were observed between intervention groups. While there was no main effect of time on average units consumed per drinking occasion over the previous week, here was a significant time by treatment arm interaction for both the control and the delayed intervention arms between times 1 and 2, 1 and 3 and 1 and 4, for both groups. Additionally, there was a significant effect of assessment (without intervention) on change across time (i.e., those who completed at least 2 assessments reduced their drinking).
Take Away: It is not clear whether the Unitcheck intervention was substantially better than assessment only Web-based interventions that provide personalized feedback and incorporate social norms information can be effective in reducing alcohol use.