Understanding engagement with an app targeting harmful drinking: Development and evaluation of the BRANCH smartphone app
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN70980706 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN70980706 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 1 |
- Submission date
- 23/07/2018
- Registration date
- 26/07/2018
- Last edited
- 17/12/2018
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Excessive alcohol consumption accounts for approximately 3 million deaths per year and is the third highest risk factor for ill-health, behind only smoking and high blood pressure. In the UK when young adults drink at hazardous or harmful levels, their consumption is the highest amongst all age groups. Young adults are reluctant to seek professional help for mental health problems when necessary. When they do seek help via primary care, harmful drinking in younger adults is under-identified by doctors. Therefore, finding ways to reduce harmful alcohol consumption in this population is a challenge. Electronic screening and brief interventions (eSBI) are typically delivered via the internet and smartphone apps, including tools such as alcohol screening, feedback on drinking and information on risks and advice for cutting down, and have shown to be effective in reducing harmful alcohol-use. However, a major issue with the eSBI app is sufficiently engaging individuals with the app, with the app not being used as frequently as necessary.
The aim of this study was to develop a smartphone app called ‘BRANCH’, which included new strategies to target harmful drinking, and to examine whether it improved use of the app, along with whether it reduced harmful drinking.
Who can participate?
18-30 year olds from the UK who drink alcohol at a harmful level and have a smartphone
What does the study involve?
The study involves comparing a comprehensive version of the app ‘BRANCH’, to a basic version. The comprehensive version includes screening and personalised feedback for alcohol use, the option to set a goal to reduce alcohol use, and information on alcohol risks and advice for cutting down, along with new strategies such as tailoring to motivations for cutting down reminders and a Twitter style newsfeed. The basic version just includes screening and personalised feedback for alcohol use, the option to set a goal to reduce alcohol use, information on alcohol risks and advice for cutting down. Participants are allocated at random to either the basic or comprehensive version of the app, and asked to use it to record their alcohol use.
What are the benefits and risks of participating?
The possible benefit to participants is that taking part could potentially reduce their harmful alcohol use and therefore reduce their risks of alcohol-related disease. There are no known risks to participants taking part in this study.
Where is the study run from?
King’s College London
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2015 to December 2017
Who is funding the study?
1. Medical Research Council (MRC) (UK)
2. Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Heath Research and Care in South London (CLAHRC) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Joanna Milward
joanna.milward@kcl.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
ASB
4 Windsor Walk
Denmark Hill
London
SE58BB
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)207 848 0437 |
|---|---|
| joanna.milward@kcl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Interventional single-centre randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Internet/virtual |
| Study type | Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Development and evaluation of a smartphone app targeting harmful drinking in young adults: How do we promote engagement to improve clinical outcomes? |
| Study acronym | BRANCH |
| Study objectives | 1. Null hypothesis: The addition of EPSs in an app targeting harmful drinking in young adults would not result in a significant increased use measured by number of logins compared to the same app including only core-components and basic strategies 28 days post randomisation. 2. Null hypothesis: Users of the comprehensive version of the app would not show a significant reduction in harmful drinking score as measured by the AUDIT – C score compared to users of the basic version at 6-month post randomisation. 3. Null hypothesis: Engagers in the intervention arm who logged into BRANCH more than once would not show a significant reduction in harmful drinking as measured by the AUDIT – C score compared to non-engagers in both treatment arms. |
| Ethics approval(s) | King’s College London University Ethics Committee, 09/08/2016, RESCMR-16/17-2896 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Harmful drinking |
| Intervention | This trial uses an electronic screening and brief intervention app targeting harmful drinking in young adults aged 18-30. Participants will be randomised into either the intervention or control group using an online automated system. Participants in the intervention group receive a comprehensive version of the app, including screening and personalised feedback for alcohol use, the option to set a goal to reduce alcohol use, information on alcohol risks and advice for cutting down and novel engagement promoting strategies. These include a social Twitter-style newsfeed, tailoring to motivations for cutting down and goals via the newsfeed, a social teams section based on the principles of gamification, extended infographic information on advice for cutting down and in-app reminders on the newsfeed. Participants in the control group receive a basic version of the app including screening and personalised feedback for alcohol use, the option to set a goal to reduce alcohol use, information on alcohol risks and advice for cutting down. Minimal engagement promoting strategies included. For example, all participants received an app which was multimedia, interactive, with single exposure delivery of information. The basic version included no tailoring, gamification, reminders or social features. All other features of the app remained the same, including the branding, overall look and feel and aesthetic design. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Number of logins over the 28 day study period |
| Secondary outcome measures | Harmful alcohol consumption, assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C) at the baseline and after 6 months |
| Overall study start date | 01/09/2015 |
| Completion date | 23/06/2018 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 30 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 564 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 18-30 years old 2. Harmful level of drinking (scored ≥ 7 on AUDIT-C) 3. Living in UK 4. Owns a smartphone |
| Key exclusion criteria | N/A |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/12/2017 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
4 Windsor Walk
Denmark Hill
London
SE58BB
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Franklin Wilkins Building
Waterloo Road
London
SE1 9NH
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | 020 7836 5454 |
|---|---|
| pnm@kcl.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/index.aspx |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/0220mzb33 |
Funders
Funder type
Not defined
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), UK Medical Research Council, MRC
- Location
- United Kingdom
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/11/2018 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| Publication and dissemination plan | We intend to publish in a peer reviewed journal and disseminate the findings at academic conferences. |
| IPD sharing plan | The data sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | qualitative study results | 13/12/2018 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
17/12/2018: Publication reference added.
