Telehealth program aims to reduce college student alcohol use

The gold standard treatment motivating college students to reduce alcohol use and decrease the negative consequences of drinking is called the BASICS program, or Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students. The prevention program targets students who drink heavily and have experienced or are at risk for alcohol-related problems.

To reach a greater number of students, University of Houston Professor of Psychology Clayton Neighbors is adapting the treatment into a telehealth format accessible on Zoom. He is supported in his work by a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

According to the NIAAA, alcohol use is a significant public health problem among college students.

“We expect to show that the program administered in a telehealth format by Zoom will work as well as in an in-person format and will be more cost-effective,” said Neighbors.

“The significance of this research lies in the potential to maximize access to the highest standard of care by establishing support for easier access without sacrificing any central features of the traditional BASICS intervention.”

The BASICS screening and intervention is delivered in an empathetic, nonconfrontational, and nonjudgmental manner and is aimed at revealing the discrepancy between the student's risky drinking behavior and their goals and values. The intervention is delivered by trained personnel proficient in motivational interviewing.

While it is considered the best treatment available, researchers report that the in-person delivery format of BASICS has presented barriers to wider implementation due to time, effort, costs of traveling to sessions, need for private meeting space, and fixed scheduling of intervention sessions.

Three hundred mandated and 300 volunteer students who report hazardous drinking will be recruited from the University of Houston and the University of Missouri and randomly assigned to a condition (in-person BASICS, Tele-BASICS, or treatment as usual). Follow-up assessments will occur at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

The project includes investigators from the University of Houston, the University of Southern California, and the University of Missouri. At UH, Neighbors is partnering with Reuben Parrish, director of UH Wellness, to work with students found to be in violation of campus alcohol policies. They will also work with volunteer students who have experienced unwanted alcohol-related consequences.

Not only does Neighbors expect the telehealth service to be successful but he also says it may be more successful among women, heavier drinkers, students without co-occurring substance use issues, and those with greater motivation.

“Generally, women are more conscientious and will be more attentive in an online format than men. Heavier drinkers will be more invested in the information and will pay more attention in an online format than lighter drinkers. Students without co-occurring substance use will have less difficulty paying attention in an online format. Those with greater motivation will also be more attentive in an online format,” said Neighbors.