A study of an interactive alcohol-prevention program for college students shows a significant decrease in total drinking and binge-drinking episodes among participants.

Inflexxion Inc., a Newton, Mass-based healthcare technology research and development company, conducted a random, controlled clinical trial of its MyStudentBody.com (MSB-Alcohol) personalized drinking prevention and education program. The study, conducted from January to August 2002, involved 265 students ages 18 to 24 from five colleges and universities in Boston, Mass. All of the participants met the criteria for binge drinking. The research showed that all of the participants reported significant decreases in alcohol use compared to a control group. In addition, the number of binge-drinking episodes decreased during the study period. Results were especially noticable among women.

“These results demonstrate that a more confidential, self-directed computer intervention has meaningful impact on those students who have been hardest to reach with traditional approaches,’ said Sarah Lord, Ph.D., director of college health programs at Inflexxion. MSB-Alcohol is designed to reduce alcohol-related risk behaviours. College students who use the program complete a confidential risk-assessment profile and then receive tailored feedback about their risks for alcoholism and related problems. The MSB-Alcohol program is currently available at 23 colleges and universities.
Source: Alcoholism and Drug weekly, April 2003