Effectiveness of electronic mail based alcohol intervention with university students: a study comparing the effect of assessment only with personalised written feedback
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN24735383 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN24735383 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | N/A |
- Submission date
- 30/06/2011
- Registration date
- 05/09/2011
- Last edited
- 06/10/2016
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Several studies have assessed various forms of screening and interventions to change students’ drinking behaviour. This can be done online, asking people to complete a few questions and giving brief feedback and advice where it may be needed. Electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) is as an efficient approach to reach large numbers of adolescents as a result of high levels of internet use among young people. This study aims to find out whether e-SBI works, and whether it is necessary to receive feedback or whether simply answering questions helps people to think about their drinking and to change it.
Who can participate?
All freshmen at Linköping University, Sweden
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated into three groups. The first group receive an e-mail asking them to participate in a short 9-question survey about alcohol habits. After completing the questionnaire they immediately receive feedback about their alcohol consumption. The second group are not contacted at all until the end of the study. The third group complete the questionnaire without getting feedback. After 3 months all three groups receive an email asking them to participate in a seemingly unrelated survey about students’ alcohol habits with no reference to the previous survey. All students at this time have an opportunity to receive personalised feedback.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The benefit could be that participants consider their alcohol habits and might change these to be more healthy. No risks are anticipated for the participants.
Where is the study run from?
Linköping University (Sweden)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September to December 2010
Who is funding the study?
Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (Sweden)
Who is the main contact?
Prof. Preben Bendtsen,
preben.bendtsen@liu.se
Contact information
Scientific
Department of Medicine and Health
Linköping University
Linköping
5581 83
Sweden
| Phone | +46 (0)70 232 4615 |
|---|---|
| preben.bendtsen@liu.se |
Study information
| Study design | Randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Screening |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of electronic mail based alcohol intervention with university students: dismantling the assessment and feedback components |
| Study objectives | The overall aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI), employing an randomised controlled trial (RCT) design that takes account of baseline assessment reactivity (and other possible effects of the research process) due to the similarity between the intervention and assessment content. The hypothesis is that assessment per se have an impact on drinking behaviour however to a lesser extent that the intervention. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Regional Ethics Committee in Linköping, Sweden, 12/10/2010, ref: 2010/291-31 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Alcohol risk/drinking behaviour |
| Intervention | The present study is designed in such a manner that the control group is as non contaminated as possible from the possible effects of research participation. Two kind of control groups will therefore be included in the study 1. A delayed intervention group that do not know they will get an intervention after 3 month 2. A screening only group without intervention at baseline who also do not know they will get an intervention after 3 months, when they will be offered an e-SBI following outcome assessment. Students in the screening group (S) will receive a mail from the local student health care asking them to participate in a short 9 question survey concerning alcohol habits among students in Linköping. They will be informed that the survey is part of the university´s work with alcohol in general. Students in the control group (C) will not be aware that they have been selected for a study before 3 months when students in all three groups (e-SBI, S and C) will receive a mail from the research group asking them to participate in a survey about students alcohol habits with no reference to the previous survey 3 month earlier with the research procedures otherwise identical to those used in Luleå. After 3 month all students in both the intervention and control groups will receive a mail from the research group asking them to participate in a survey about students alcohol habits with no reference to the previous survey 3 month earlier. This is done in order minimise a Hawthorne effect in the intervention group i.e. being aware that the results will be compared with the first survey. The appearance of the two surveys, as well as their source, will be different from each other to protect against this possibility. All students will at this time receive a normative personalised feedback opportunity directly on the screen of their computer and have the possibility to print it out. The students will also automatically receive a mail with their feedback so they can read the feedback at a later stage. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Average alcohol consumption 2. Frequency of heavy episodic drinking 3. Maximal drinking at one occasion Measured at baseline before they get a written feedback and after 3 months before another written feedback |
| Secondary outcome measures | Proportion of students with risky drinking, measured at baseline before they get a written feedback and after 3 months before another written feedback. |
| Overall study start date | 01/09/2010 |
| Completion date | 31/12/2010 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 5000 |
| Key inclusion criteria | All freshmen at Linköping University, Sweden |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/09/2010 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/12/2010 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Sweden
Study participating centre
5581 83
Sweden
Sponsor information
Research council
FAS
Box 2220
Stockholm
10315
Sweden
| Phone | +46 (0)87 754 070 |
|---|---|
| fas@fas.se | |
| Website | http://www.fas.se |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02d290r06 |
Funders
Funder type
Research council
Private sector organisation / Other non-profit organizations
- Alternative name(s)
- Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, FAS
- Location
- Sweden
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 31/10/2012 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
06/10/2016: Plain English summary added.
