Alcohol Metabolism and Disease Risk in Asians

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The primary pathway of alcohol metabolism involves two main enzymes, alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Several genes that encode these enzymes have variants that alter the rate of alcohol metabolism and increase levels of acetaldehyde. The variant ALDH2*2 allele is associated with the flushing response (i.e., Asian glow) and is found almost exclusively in individuals of east Asian descent. Although having variant ALDH2 alleles is protective against heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders, for those who do drink, these variants also are associated with elevations in risk for several health problems. The premise of this study is that we can affect early drinking behavior through personalized communication about these health-related risks.

Official Title
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Alcohol Metabolism and Disease Risk in Asians: Examining the Impact of Personalized Phenotypic/Genotypic Feedback and Motivational Processes on Early Drinking Trajectories

Conditions
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Healthy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Phenotype Feedback Intervention
* Behavioral: Genotype Feedback Intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: All participants will be of Asian heritage (i.e. Chinese/Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese). Half of the sample will be incoming first-year undergraduates Half of the sample will be current undergraduates who self-report having flushed when they first started drinking alcohol

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 17 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control (CONTROL)<br>Participants do not receive PHEN or GENE. | |
| Experimental: Phenotype Feedback (PHEN)<br>Participants receive the PHEN intervention. | Behavioral: Phenotype Feedback Intervention<br>* Online session providing information on health-related risk associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol metabolism gene variations plus personalized feedback on flushing phenotype and associated risks.<br>* Other names: PHEN;|
| Experimental: Phenotype and Genotype Feedback (PHEN+GENE)<br>Participants receive the PHEN and GENE interventions. | Behavioral: Phenotype Feedback Intervention<br>* Online session providing information on health-related risk associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol metabolism gene variations plus personalized feedback on flushing phenotype and associated risks.<br>* Other names: PHEN;Behavioral: Genotype Feedback Intervention<br>* Online session providing personalized feedback on alcohol metabolism genotypes and associated health-related risks.<br>* Other names: GENE;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alcohol peak consumption | Drinking quantity on heaviest drinking day | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alcohol frequency of consumption | Number of drinking days | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention | 
| Alcohol weekend consumption | Weekend quantity of alcohol consumed | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention | 
| Alcohol consumption | Total quantity of alcohol consumed | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention | 
| Non-drinker | Non-drinker will be assessed at baseline with RESPONSE: N/A, I have never had more than sips or tastes of alcohol to the QUESTION: How old were you when you first started drinking, not counting small sips or tastes of alcohol?, and 2) in all follow-up surveys with RESPONSE: never to the QUESTION: How old were you when you had your first drink of alcohol, not counting small sips or tastes of alcohol? | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention | 
| Flush cure use | Proportion of time use products to reduce flushing when drinking | Baseline through 10-months post-intervention |