Using biomarkers to measure alcohol consumption in intervention studies: A Scoping Review Protocol
Creators: name: Kane, Jeremy
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Substance Abuse and Addiction
subject: Public Health
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Epidemiology
subject: International Public Health
subject: Mental and Social Health
subject: Alcohol
subject: Alcohol Interventions
subject: Alcohol Treatment
subject: Biomarkers
subject: Biosensors

description: Given the increasing frequency with which biomarkers are being used in alcohol intervention studies, we believe it is an appropriate time to undertake a review of the literature to characterize the types of biomarkers being used, how they are being used, and in what contexts they are being used. This review will take the form of a scoping review, which, unlike a systematic review, is not designed to answer a narrow question through formal qualitative evidence synthesis or meta-analysis, but rather to address exploratory research questions and provide a summary of the literature as well as existing gaps in knowledge on a topic. We aim to provide a narrative overview and map concepts related to the use of biomarkers in alcohol intervention studies. Specifically, the review aims to address the following questions: 1. Which biomarkers have been used in alcohol intervention studies to measure alcohol consumption? 2. What are the characteristics of intervention studies that have included alcohol biomarkers (study designs, country/context, populations, interventions, outcomes)? 3. How were biomarkers used in study and, if a comparison between self-reported and biomarker-obtained alcohol consumption was conducted, did the inclusion of biomarkers change the inference of findings in the study based on self-reported alcohol outcomes? Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Studies included in the review will be peer-reviewed papers published in the scientific literature or studies that are ongoing (as evidenced by registration on ClinicalTrials.gov or NIH Reporter) that meet the following criteria: • Studies that were published or in progress between January 1, 2000 and March 31, 2021. • The study pilots or evaluates through experimental, quasi-experimental, or non-experimental designs an intervention that aims, at least in part, to reduce unhealthy alcohol use. • Alcohol consumption is a stated primary or secondary outcome of the study. • The study includes an alcohol biomarker as a primary or secondary method for measuring alcohol consumption. We will exclude studies that use biomarkers for purposes other than evaluating alcohol consumption in the context of an intervention (e.g., biomarker validation studies, observational or epidemiologic studies of alcohol consumption that do not involve an intervention). The search of the literature will proceed with the following steps: • We will conduct searches in the following academic databases: o Medline/Pubmed o PsycInfo o Cochrane Central o Embase o CINAHL o Lilacs o NIH Reporter o Clinicaltrials.gov • Searches will include all possible combinations of search terms in the following three categories: biomarker/biosensor type, alcohol use, and intervention. Searches will be done in the title, abstract, and/or full text of articles. • After searching all of the above databases with each combination of the terms, we will record the total number of records (titles and abstracts) that were identified. • Using Covidence, all duplicates will be removed from the list. • Two independent reviewers will conduct a review of all studies in the list. The initial screening will consist of evaluating the TITLE and ABSTRACT (if available) of the documents that resulted from the search. Discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or, if necessary, by a third reviewer. Reviewers will classify studies as “yes” if the title and abstract describe an alcohol intervention study (i.e., an intervention study in which alcohol was a stated primary or secondary outcome) and the use of an alcohol biomarker/biosensor. Studies will be labeled “maybe” if they describe an alcohol intervention study but do not mention biomarker/biosensor in the abstract/title. Studies will be marked “no” if they are not an alcohol intervention study. • We will retain all articles classified as “yes” or “maybe” for full text review. Two independent reviewers will screen the full text of retained articles based upon the full eligibility criteria. Full text review screening will similarly be completed using Covidence software. Reviewers will meet to discuss any discrepancies. If needed, a third reviewer will resolve discrepancies that were not resolved through discussion. • Once the list of included full texts from the searches is finalized, two independent reviewers will search the reference lists of all included studies and include any additional eligible articles. Discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer, if needed. • The review results will be shared with the full investigator team and additional articles may be included based on investigator input and knowledge of known papers or studies that are relevant and that meet eligibility criteria. • The search strategy will be documented and summarized using the PRISMA Sc-R flow chart Data extraction and analysis: Two independent reviewers will extract data from included articles. Discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer, if necessary. The types of information to be extracted includes (but will not be limited to): author/year, study design, intervention type, biomarker/biosensors used, alcohol outcome method (other than biomarker/biosensor), country/context, population, description of how biomarker/biosensor was used and result of using biomarker/biosensor.