317006
Using the Internet to prevent binge drinking among college students: A Systematic Review of Evidence
The prevalence rate and number of drinks for binge drinking is highest among the college-aged population. Because use of the Internet is popular with the college population, a novel avenue for intervention is through an Internet-based health promotion program. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the Internet-based interventions targeting binge drinking among the college population. Relevant articles were identified through electronic searches in 6 databases (CINAHL Plus with full text, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, Health source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Medline, and PsyArticles) by using the following keywords: a) Binge drinking and Heavy drinking, b) Web-based, Internet based, Internet, web, and online, c) college students, and d) Intervention. The inclusion criteria included articles from peer-reviewed journals published from 2000 to 2014 that incorporated Internet-based interventions for binge drinking prevention. Only articles in the English language were included in this study. Review articles and studies only explaining intervention pedagogies were not included. After the systematic screening process, a total of 14 articles were included for the final review. Each article was thoroughly read to extract the following variables: study design and sample size, average age of participants, underpinning theoretical framework, and intervention description and duration. This review also synthesized a methodological assessment with variables such as outcome measures, sample size justification, number of measurements, and use of process evaluations. All but one study reported a significant reduction in frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption and problems related with heavy drinking. Internet-based interventions appear to be more effective than traditional print-based interventions, but face-to-face interventions are typically reported as more effective. This study supports using the Internet as a brief intervention approach to effectively reduce binge drinking among college students.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the current internet based alcohol interventions implemented among college students.
Provide the recommendations for future internet based interventions designed for binge drinking among college students
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Internet
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a first year PhD student in the University of Oklahoma. I received my Master of Science in Health Promotion from the University of Oklahoma in 2012 and Masters of Business Administration from the Oklahoma State University in 2009. While pursuing my higher study in health promotion, I have presented my research in various local and national conferences. Additionally I have also published few research papers in the area of smoking and alcohol prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
