Close
Alcohol misuse is a significant international public health problem. Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) in the primary care setting has been found to reduce alcohol consumption significantly but implementation has proved difficult. This has led to growing interest in exploring SBIs in other settings. Computerised interventions for alcohol misuse have been found to be effective and have the added advantages of anonymity, convenience and availability.
This trial was conducted in a large private sector organisation, with around 100,000 employees. In this study participants were invited to complete an online health screen and answered questions on a range of behaviours known to impact health and well-being e.g. alcohol, smoking, diet and physical activity. Those who scored 5 or more on the Audit-C (indicating hazardous drinking) entered the trial and were randomised to receive feedback on all health behaviours or all health behaviours except alcohol consumption.
Personalised alcohol feedback indicated people are at increased risk of alcohol related harm and advised to reduce the amount they drank. The advice acknowledged that it can be hard to cut down and linked to further support available from the online intervention Down Your Drink (DYD). 3375 people took part in the health screening, 39% of whom scored 5 or more on the Audit-C and entered the trial. The study found no difference in the past week in alcohol consumption at 3 months between those participants who received feedback on their drinking, compared to those who received no feedback on their alcohol consumption.
Read the full paper here.