Targeting young drinkers online: The effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention in preventing excessive drinking patterns among adolescents with a low educational background.

The aim of the project is to test the effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention that is aimed at reducing heavy drinking among adolescents with a low educational background, that is participants of secondary schools (VMBO) and institutions for professional education (ROC) in the ages between 15 and 20 years in a Dutch sample. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) trial with a 1 factor (two levels: experimental versus control condition) pre-post test design will be conducted. Measurements on mean weekly alcohol consumption and binge drinking will be employed and assessments on alcohol related cognitions will be conducted at baseline, and 1 month and 6 months after the intervention.

The present study will test the effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention that is aimed at reducing heavy drinking among adolescents with a low educational background, that is participants of secondary schools (VMBO) and institutions for professional education (ROC) in the ages between 15 and 20 years in a Dutch sample. We expect that a larger percentage of participants in the experimental condition will drink within the normative limits of the Dutch National Health Council for low-risk drinking compared to the control condition as a direct result of the intervention. This means that their consumption will not exceed a mean heavy alcohol use consumption of more than 7 (girls aged 15-16 years), 12 (boys aged 15-16 years), 14 (females aged 17-20 years) or 21 (men aged 17-20 years) glasses of standard units of alcohol per week and/or, in case of binge drinking, 5 or more glasses of standard units of alcohol on one drinking occasion at least once per month and week for boys and girls aged 15-16 years and men and females aged 17-20 years respectively at 1 month and 6 months after the intervention. It was hypothesized that reductions in mean weekly alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking would occur in both arms, but exposure to the web-based brief alcohol intervention would be more effective than receiving no intervention.

Baseline, 1 and 6 months.

Participants will be allocated at random to either the experimental condition – exposure (± 20 minutes) to a web-based brief alcohol intervention – or control condition – no intervention. In addition, the participating institutions for secondary education (VMBO) and professional education (ROC) are being offered a reward “Workshop Reclamebureau” after their students completing the total follow up period. During this workshop students are being asked to evaluate a commercial about healthy choices and social influence.