Text Message Intervention for Alcohol Use and Sexual Violence in College Students
Condition: Alcohol Use, Unspecified; Sexual Violence; Sexual Assault
MeSH terms: Alcohol Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study is designed to pilot a text message (TM) delivered behavior change intervention to
      decrease binge drinking and to increase use of sexual violence (SV) harm reduction strategies
      among college students.
    

Detailed description: 
      This is a prospective, open-label, feasibility trial of a text message-delivered intervention
      designed to increase use of sexual violence harm reduction strategies and decrease alcohol
      use among college students.

      In this research study, participants will:

        -  be asked to complete three surveys, one survey at the start of the study, one at the end
           of 3 month intervention period, and one at 6 months after enrollment

        -  receive one of two sets of text messages for a 3 month intervention period and be asked
           to respond to some of those text messages

             -  Control condition text messages: The control condition will be a version of the
                TM-delivered alcohol use reduction intervention developed and implemented by Dr.
                Brian Suffoletto while at the University of Pittsburgh. This intervention has been
                tested in young adults (age 18-25) recruited from Emergency Department and college
                settings, and will be used to provide an attention control group for efficacy
                testing. Prior to typical drinking occasions, individuals planning a drinking event
                are prompted to consider committing to a drinking limit goal, i.e.: "Would you be
                willing to set a goal to drink less than X drinks when drinking?". Based on
                willingness to commit to the goal, a feedback message is provided. During typical
                drinking periods, individuals receive a goal reminder. Each week, the program
                provides goal success/failure feedback or drinking quantity feedback. For example,
                those occasions where an individual committed to a drinking limit goal triggers
                either messages to reinforce goal successes or reframe goal failures. When an
                individual did not commit to a drink limit goal, they are provided feedback based
                on alcohol quantity (e.g. abstinence feedback, high risk drinking feedback).

             -  Intervention condition text messages: The multi-target sexual violence harm
                reduction and alcohol use intervention will use a similar model to the alcohol use
                reduction intervention previous developed and implemented at the University of
                Pittsburgh.13-15 Students will be: 1) queried via TM prior to typical drinking days
                regarding both alcohol use and SV harm reduction goal setting; 2) provided with
                goal reminders during drinking period; and 3) assessed for goal attainment and
                given feedback following drinking episodes.
    

Intervention name(s): sexual violence and alcohol use harm reduction text message content; alcohol use reduction content
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The multi-target sexual violence harm reduction and alcohol use intervention will use a similar model to the alcohol use reduction intervention previous developed and implemented. Students will be: 1) queried via TM prior to typical drinking days regarding both alcohol use and SV harm reduction goal setting; 2) provided with goal reminders during drinking period; and 3) assessed for goal attainment and given feedback following drinking episodes. As with the control condition, post-drinking assessment happens weekly on Sundays. Monday thru Saturday participants will randomly receive or not receive one appropriate message pathway from the message library using the pre-determined pathways for messages.; The control condition will be a previously tested TM-delivered alcohol use reduction intervention. Prior to typical drinking occasions, individuals planning a drinking event are prompted to consider committing to a drinking limit goal, i.e.: "Would you be willing to set a goal to drink less than X drinks when drinking?". Based on willingness to commit to the goal, a feedback message is provided. During typical drinking periods, individuals receive a goal reminder. Each week, the program provides goal success/failure feedback or drinking quantity feedback. For example, those occasions where an individual committed to a drinking limit goal triggers either messages to reinforce goal successes or reframe goal failures. When an individual did not commit to a drink limit goal, they are provided feedback based on alcohol quantity (e.g. high risk drinking feedback).
Intervention MeSH terms: Ethanol
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention