Testing the Effectiveness of a Combined Web-Based and Ecological Momentary Intervention for First-Year University Students

Abstract

First year university students engage in heavy alcohol use. Concerns around adverse alcohol-related health outcomes has prompted research on methods to reduce alcohol consumption in university students. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a combined Web-Based Intervention (WBI) and Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) on reducing alcohol consumption in first-year university students. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), EMA+WBI, or EMA+WBI+EMI. The WBI consisted of personalized feedback on participants’ alcohol consumption while the EMIs consisted of a combination of social norms, potential alcohol-related consequences, and protective behavioural strategies. To assess the impact of the intervention, participants completed three surveys across the academic year (i.e., pre-university, end of semester 1, end of semester 2) and responded to fortnightly EMA text messages to report their weekend alcohol consumption. Results revealed that alcohol consumption reported by those in the EMA+WBI+EMI and EMA+WBI conditions did not differ from that of participants in the EMA control condition. Further, although participants in the EMA+WBI+EMI condition reported an average of one less harm than those who received the EMA+WBI condition, it was not significantly different from the number of harms reported by those in the EMA control condition.