A quasi-randomized group trial of a brief alcohol intervention on risky single occasion drinking among secondary school students
Gmel, Gerhard ; Venzin, Vigeli ; Marmet, Katrin ; Danko, George ; Labhart, Florian
In: International Journal of Public Health, 2012, vol. 57, no. 6, p. 935-944
Ajouter à la liste personnelle- Summary
- Objectives: To show the effectiveness of a brief group alcohol intervention. Aims of the intervention were to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking occasions, maximum number of drinks on an occasion and overall weekly consumption. Methods: A cluster quasi-randomized control trial (intervention n=338; control n=330) among 16- to 18-year-old secondary school students in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. Groups homogeneous for heavy drinking occasions (5+/4+ drinks for men/women) consisted of those having medium risk (3-4) or high risk (5+) occasions in the past 30days. Groups of 8-10 individuals received two 45-min sessions based on motivational interviewing techniques. Results: Borderline significant beneficial effects (p<0.10) on heavy drinking occasions and alcohol volume were found 6months later for the medium-risk group only, but not for the high-risk group. None of the effects remained significant after Bonferroni corrections. Conclusions: Group intervention was ineffective for all at-risk users. The heaviest drinkers may need more intensive treatment. Alternative explanations were iatrogenic effects among the heaviest drinkers, assessment reactivity, or reduction of social desirability bias at follow-up through peer feedback