Efficacy of the Expectancy Challenge Alcohol Literacy Curriculum on Reducing College Student Alcohol Use and Harms

Overview

The current project uses a web-based program called the Expectancy Challenge Alcohol Literacy Curriculum (ECALC) to reduce alcohol use and associated harms among college students. Participants complete the interactive program in 50 minutes, and then provide daily, real-time data on expectancies and alcohol use for 3 weeks after intervention, and again for one week at 13 and 25 weeks after intervention. One group will also receive biweekly boosters delivered via smart phone to assess their impact on intervention decay over time. It is hypothesized that ECALC effects may decay over time, and that biweekly boosters will prevent this decay. Access to the ECALC is available on request from the principal investigator.

The Expectancy Challenge Alcohol Literacy Curriculum (ECALC) is a 50-minute interactive program, and the only non-experiential expectancy challenge that has been successful in significantly reducing alcohol use and harms among college students. In studies focused on mandated students, fraternity and sorority members, and first year college students, ECALC has produced larger effect sizes than experiential expectancy challenge and all widely used programs. ECALC outcome studies have thus far been limited to four weeks, but the design of ECALC suggests that effects might be sustained for much longer. The primary aim of the proposed project is to conduct an RCT designed to evaluate duration of ECALC effects over the course of 6 months, and to assess the impact of smart phone-delivered boosters on maintenance and enhancement of effects. Participants will be problematic drinking college students recruited from first time in college new students. Students will be randomly assigned to ECALC only, ECALC plus boosters, or assessment only control. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) will be used to track alcohol use and expectancies for one week at baseline, three weeks post-intervention, and one-week intervals at 3 and 6 months. It is hypothesized that students who complete ECALC will demonstrate immediate changes in alcohol expectancies, and subsequently, this will drive lower alcohol use and lower rates of alcohol-related problems (relative to the assessment only control students). It is also hypothesized that changes in expectancies and reduction in alcohol use may decay over time among students who do not receive boosters, while biweekly boosters will promote maintenance or enhancement of effects. This study allows for the examination of (1) duration of ECALC effects up to 6 months, and (2) the impact of biweekly boosters delivered via smart phones. In addition, use of EMA to collect real time data on expectancies and alcohol use over the course of 6 months will allow us to (3) map potential changes in expectancies in relation to alcohol use during this critical period of transition. If successful, this project will validate the use of ECALC as an efficient and effective program for reducing alcohol use and drinking-related harms.