Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107311

Jessica Aungst¹, Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH², Stuart Usdan, PhD, CHES³, Darren Mays², and Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH². (1) Research Foundation, University at Buffalo, SUNY, 821 Potomac Ave, Lower, Buffalo, NY 14209, 716-400-7574, jessaungst@yahoo.com, (2) Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, (3) Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Univeristy of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, HESC 220, Columbia, SC 29208

Background: Alcohol use and abuse have been associated with a variety of negative consequences and health outcomes. Wireless handheld computers offer great potential for addressing substance use-related health promotion by facilitating the daily collection of detailed alcohol experiences and the daily delivery of individually-tailored messages designed to reduce the negative consequences of drinking alcohol. Objective: A two-week randomized trial was conducted to investigate the feasibility and short-term outcomes of delivering individually-tailored alcohol-related messages to undergraduates via wireless handheld computers. Methods: A total of 40 college students were provided wireless handheld computers and randomly assigned to either the treatment group, who completed daily surveys on drinking behaviors and contextual factors and received daily tailored messages via text messaging on the handhelds, or the control group, who only completed daily drinking surveys. The treatment group text messages were tailored to actual drinking behaviors and consequences and reported levels of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies related to alcohol-related consequences. Results: The majority of participants receiving tailored messages reported reading most of messages. Also, they had better outcomes on several self-efficacy and outcome expectancy subscales compared to control group participants. Conclusions: Tailored substance use health promotion messages can be successfully delivered via handheld computers. Tailored interventions delivered by wireless handheld computer offer great potential for health promotion on substance use and other public health problems.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session the learner will be able to

• Explain the application of wireless handheld computers to data collection and tailored interventions;
• Describe the process of creating tailored messages and delivering them as text messages via wireless handheld computers;
• Apply the process to tailored wireless health promotion to other substance use and public health issues.

Keywords: Technology, Alcohol

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation