Alcohol DrinkingHorizonsNCT05443750
Digital Motivational Behavioral Economic Intervention to Reduce Risky Drinking Among Community-Dwelling Emerging Adults
A study testing Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol Intervention and Health Education in people with Alcohol Drinking, run by University of Florida at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Emerging adult risky drinkers living in disadvantaged communities often have limited access to rewarding activities and adult roles that offer alternatives to heavy drinking. Guided by behavioral economics, this cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate a brief behavioral intervention aimed at increasing… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 28 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Drinking
- What is being tested?
- Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol Intervention and Health Education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 806 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Jan 2023to 31 Jul 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 28 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Males and females ages 18-28 who are not enrolled fulltime in 4-year colleges/universities and who reside in disadvantaged North and Central Florida communities
- Past 30-day alcohol use exceeding NIAAA (2005) single day limits for lower risk drinking (4 drinks for males; 3 drinks for women) and one or more alcohol-related negative consequences in the past 90 days
- Web access via smartphone or computer; and (4) minimum 8th grade education, the level necessary to use study materials.
Who cannot join
- Age out of range
- Blood relatives of previously enrolled participants
- Invalid enrollment referral number
- Fulltime college students
- Absence of above drinking risk indicators
- Lack of smartphone or computer availability
- Education less than 8th grade
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Florida College of Health & Human Performance
Gainesville, Florida, 32611
About this study
Emerging adult risky drinkers living in disadvantaged communities often have limited access to rewarding activities and adult roles that offer alternatives to heavy drinking. Guided by behavioral economics, this cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate a brief behavioral intervention aimed at increasing future orientation and engaging pro-social alternatives to drinking delivered using a peer-driven sampling method and digital platform well suited for accessing their social networks.
Read the detailed description
Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) to reduce risky drinking in college students are well established as beneficial, but the needs of emerging adult (EA) risky drinkers who live in disadvantaged communities and are not fulltime college students have been neglected. They tend to have more constrained access to rewarding opportunities, adult roles, and activities that present pro-social alternatives to heavy drinking. When coupled with the foreshortened time horizons typical of many EAs, this suggests the need for interventions that not only enhance motivation to reduce drinking, but guide EAs to engage in alternatives to heavy drinking and orient their behavior toward longer-term positive goals. Guided by behavioral economics (BE), this study will disseminate and evaluate a brief motivational BE intervention that combines BMI elements with the Substance Free Activity Session shown to reduce drinking by increasing future orientation and engagement in pro-social alternatives. The intervention will be delivered using a digital platform appropriate for EAs whose social networks operate through such communications. Because peers influence substance use, a peer-driven sampling method (Respondent Driven Sampling [RDS]) will be used to recruit 500 community-dwelling EAs ages 18-28 for a cluster randomized controlled trial that compares the intervention with a health education control condition. Additional EA target population members ("seed" participants, n = 250) will start RDS recruitment but are not part of the intervention evaluation sample. The evaluation study will assess participants' drinking practices and problems, BE outcome predictors, and social networks at enrollment and at 1, 6, and 12-month follow-ups. Intervention efficacy and behavior change mechanisms will be examined. Reduced alcohol demand and delay discounting and favorable post-intervention shifts in future orientation, substance-free vs. substance-involved activities, and use of protective behavioral strategies to reduce drinking-related harms are predicted to mediate intervention effects. Social network analysis will assess whether the intervention attenuates network promotion of individual drinking. The study will be the first to test a web-based alcohol reduction intervention focused on BE principles and to use digital RDS to reach community-dwelling EAs for intervention. The study will translate and test BE mediators and moderators of change, and the digital intervention has high potential for reach and scalability with under-served community risk groups.
- Conditions
- Alcohol Drinking
- Being tested
- Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol Intervention, Health Education
- Keywords
- risky drinking reduction, emerging adults, social networks
- Medical subject headings
- Alcohol Drinking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol InterventionBehavioural
The intervention combines an alcohol brief motivational intervention (US-THRIVE [Tertiary Health Research Intervention via Email]) with the Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS), shown to reduce drinking and related negative consequences by increasing future orientation and engagement in pro-social alternatives to drinking. The intervention will be delivered using a web-based platform appropriate for the young adult target population whose social networks operate through such communications.
Health EducationBehavioural
Participants view web-based health educational material about alcohol, sleep, and nutrition of a similar length and style to the experimental intervention materials.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Behavioral Economic Intervention | Experimental | Web-based alcohol risk reduction brief intervention Receives: Behavioral: Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol Intervention |
| Health Education | Active comparator | Web-based health education material Receives: Behavioral: Health Education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change from baseline Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 6 months post-baseline
At each assessment point, participants will complete an online TLFB concerning their daily drinking during the past month, an interval found sufficiently long to characterize drinking patterns. Using a calendar that covers the 30-day recall interval, participants record how many standard drinks of beer, wine, or liquor they consumed each day. Drinks per week will be calculated for tests of study hypotheses along with other metrics for descriptive purposes (frequency of gender adjusted heavy and high intensity drinking days).The TLFB is considered the "gold standard" for obtaining reliable and accurate reports of alcohol consumption using a variety of assessment modalities (e.g., interview, online, phone) and is accepted by the FDA for use as an efficacy endpoint of percentage of heavy drinking days in clinical trials.
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 12 months post-baseline
At each assessment point, participants will complete an online TLFB concerning their daily drinking during the past month, an interval found sufficiently long to characterize drinking patterns. Using a calendar that covers the 30-day recall interval, participants record how many standard drinks of beer, wine, or liquor they consumed each day. Drinks per week will be calculated for tests of study hypotheses along with other metrics for descriptive purposes (frequency of gender adjusted heavy and high intensity drinking days).The TLFB is considered the "gold standard" for obtaining reliable and accurate reports of alcohol consumption using a variety of assessment modalities (e.g., interview, online, phone) and is accepted by the FDA for use as an efficacy endpoint of percentage of heavy drinking days in clinical trials.
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) at 6 months post-baseline
The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire asks about 24 negative events during the past month (e.g., neglected obligations, driving after drinking) and includes common and less severe consequences suitable for use with younger populations. The B-YAACQ is reliable yet sensitive to changes in alcohol use, has high internal consistency, and includes common but less severe consequences. Scores, ranging from 0-24, are predicted by typical drinking as well as by BE-relevant indices of impulsivity and poor self-regulation. Higher scores indicate participants are experiencing more negative events associated with their drinking.
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) scores at 12 months post-baseline
The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire asks about 24 negative events during the past month (e.g., neglected obligations, driving after drinking) and includes common and less severe consequences suitable for use with younger populations. The B-YAACQ is reliable yet sensitive to changes in alcohol use, has high internal consistency, and includes common but less severe consequences. Scores, ranging from 0-24, are predicted by typical drinking as well as by BE-relevant indices of impulsivity and poor self-regulation. Higher scores indicate participants are experiencing more negative events associated with their drinking.
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Secondary outcomes (8)
Change from baseline Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule-Substance Use Version (ARSS-SUV) at 6 months post-baseline
Participants report past month frequency and rate the enjoyment of 36 activities that are substance free vs. substance involved. Frequency and enjoyment ratings are multiplied to obtain a cross-product that reflects reinforcement derived from the activity, and the relative reinforcement value of alcohol (R-ratio) is computed for analysis [(alcohol-related total/(alcohol-free total + alcohol- related total)]. Participants also report the number of hours spent engaging in several activity categories during a typical week in the past month (work, exercise, drinking, recreation).
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule-Substance Use Version (ARSS-SUV) at 12 months post-baseline
Participants report past month frequency and rate the enjoyment of 36 activities that are substance free vs. substance involved. Frequency and enjoyment ratings are multiplied to obtain a cross-product that reflects reinforcement derived from the activity, and the relative reinforcement value of alcohol (R-ratio) is computed for analysis [(alcohol-related total/(alcohol-free total + alcohol- related total)]. Participants also report the number of hours spent engaging in several activity categories during a typical week in the past month (work, exercise, drinking, recreation).
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Minute Discounting Task at 6 months post-baseline
This adjusting delay discounting task yields accurate discount rates in less than one minute. Values are well correlated with the established longer adjusting amount delay discounting procedure. Delays are adjusted based on participants' responses in a series of 5 trials in which a hypothetical monetary reward amount is held constant. The task directly measures ED50, which is the delay at which the current reward value is half its nominal dollar amount. Outcomes will not be incentivized because hypothetical and real money generate equivalent measures.
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Minute Discounting Task at 12 months post-baseline
This adjusting delay discounting task yields accurate discount rates in less than one minute. Values are well correlated with the established longer adjusting amount delay discounting procedure. Delays are adjusted based on participants' responses in a series of 5 trials in which a hypothetical monetary reward amount is held constant. The task directly measures ED50, which is the delay at which the current reward value is half its nominal dollar amount. Outcomes will not be incentivized because hypothetical and real money generate equivalent measures.
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) at 6 months post-baseline
This questionnaire asks participants to report how many standard drinks they would consume across 20 prices ($0 to $40) in an imaginary drinking setting, which yields multiple observed and derived indices reflecting sensitivity to price changes that correspond with actual alcohol use. Elasticity of demand and intensity (consumption at $0) will be used for analysis. Relative insensitivity to price changes ("inelastic" demand) is related to risky drinking and alcohol problems, and intensity has incremental utility to predict alcohol use disorder symptoms beyond drinking practices.
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) at 12 months post-baseline
This questionnaire asks participants to report how many standard drinks they would consume across 20 prices ($0 to $40) in an imaginary drinking setting, which yields multiple observed and derived indices reflecting sensitivity to price changes that correspond with actual alcohol use. Elasticity of demand and intensity (consumption at $0) will be used for analysis. Relative insensitivity to price changes ("inelastic" demand) is related to risky drinking and alcohol problems, and intensity has incremental utility to predict alcohol use disorder symptoms beyond drinking practices.
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Relative Discretionary Expenditures on Alcohol (RDEA) at 6 months post-baseline
The RDEA index reflects strength of preference for alcohol in relation to other discretionary commodities common in the personal economies of younger adults and predicts alcohol problems and outcomes. It is based on participant reports of money spent during the past month on nonessential items (e.g., clothing, music, recreation) and on alcoholic beverages, regardless of whether the alcohol was consumed. Participants also report dollars saved voluntarily, which reflects resource allocation for future goals. Lower RDEA values and proportionately greater allocation to savings than alcohol predict positive drinking outcomes.
Measured: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Relative Discretionary Expenditures on Alcohol (RDEA) at 12 months post-baseline
The RDEA index reflects strength of preference for alcohol in relation to other discretionary commodities common in the personal economies of younger adults and predicts alcohol problems and outcomes. It is based on participant reports of money spent during the past month on nonessential items (e.g., clothing, music, recreation) and on alcoholic beverages, regardless of whether the alcohol was consumed. Participants also report dollars saved voluntarily, which reflects resource allocation for future goals. Lower RDEA values and proportionately greater allocation to savings than alcohol predict positive drinking outcomes.
Measured: 12 months post-baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Jul 2022
- Study start9 Jan 2023
- Primary completion2 Jun 2026
- Study completion31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (69)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Alcohol DrinkingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of FloridaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- brief web-based motivational behavioral economic alcohol intervention compared to web-based health education control materials
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 806 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Florida
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jalie A Tucker, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, University of Florida
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05443750
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB202201411
- Other IDs
- 1R01AA028230-01A1
- Acronym
- Horizons
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 16 Jun 2022
- Last updated
- 17 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Project data will be submitted as required to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Data Archive (NDA), which is a data repository that houses and shares human subjects data generated by NIAAA-funded research. Sharing individual participant data (IPD) is governed by the NDA data sharing terms and conditions. When data are uploaded, each participant has an associated Global Unique ID, or GUID.
Publications
Arnett JJ. Emerging adulthood. A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. Am Psychol. 2000 May;55(5):469-80.
PubMed 10842426Arnett, J. J. The developmental context of substance use in emerging adulthood. Journal of Drug Issues, 2005;35(2): 235-254.
Bauermeister JA, Zimmerman MA, Johns MM, Glowacki P, Stoddard S, Volz E. Innovative recruitment using online networks: lessons learned from an online study of alcohol and other drug use utilizing a web-based, respondent-driven sampling (webRDS) strategy. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2012 Sep;73(5):834-8. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2012.73.834.
PubMed 22846248Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Robaina, K. USAUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, adapted for use in the United States: A guide for primary care practitioners. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2016.
Broz D, Wejnert C, Pham HT, DiNenno E, Heffelfinger JD, Cribbin M, Krishna N, Teshale EH, Paz-Bailey G; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System Study Group. HIV infection and risk, prevention, and testing behaviors among injecting drug users -- National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, 20 U.S. cities, 2009. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2014 Jul 4;63(6):1-51.
PubMed 24990587Buscemi J, Murphy JG, Martens MP, McDevitt-Murphy ME, Dennhardt AA, Skidmore JR. Help-seeking for alcohol-related problems in college students: correlates and preferred resources. Psychol Addict Behav. 2010 Dec;24(4):571-80. doi: 10.1037/a0021122.
PubMed 21198220Call KT, Davern M, Boudreaux M, Johnson PJ, Nelson J. Bias in telephone surveys that do not sample cell phones: uses and limits of poststratification adjustments. Med Care. 2011 Apr;49(4):355-64. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182028ac7.
PubMed 21407032Campbell MK, Piaggio G, Elbourne DR, Altman DG; CONSORT Group. Consort 2010 statement: extension to cluster randomised trials. BMJ. 2012 Sep 4;345:e5661. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e5661. No abstract available.
PubMed 22951546Carter AC, Brandon KO, Goldman MS. The college and noncollege experience: a review of the factors that influence drinking behavior in young adulthood. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2010 Sep;71(5):742-50. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2010.71.742.
PubMed 20731981Cheong J, Lindstrom K, Chandler SD, Bacon JP, Tucker JA. Social Network Feedback and Drinking Outcomes among Emerging Adult Risky Drinkers Living in Urban Communities. Subst Use Misuse. 2021;56(13):1989-1996. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1963985. Epub 2021 Aug 25.
PubMed 34429032Cheong J, Tucker JA, Simpson CA, Chandler SD. Time horizons and substance use among African American youths living in disadvantaged urban areas. Addict Behav. 2014 Apr;39(4):818-23. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.12.016. Epub 2014 Jan 7.
PubMed 24531637Cheong J, Tucker JA, Chandler SD. Reasons for Accepting and Declining Free HIV Testing and Counseling Among Young African American Women Living in Disadvantaged Southern Urban Communities. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2019 Jan;33(1):25-31. doi: 10.1089/apc.2018.0090. Epub 2018 Oct 17.
PubMed 30328693Cheong J, Tucker JA, Chandler SD. Time Horizons, Drug Use, and Risky Sex in Young Women from Poor Urban Areas. Sucht. 2022 Apr;68(2):75-82. doi: 10.1024/0939-5911/a000758. Epub 2022 Apr 13.
PubMed 35502297Chen CM, Dufour, MC, Yi, HY. Alcohol consumption among young adults ages 18-24 in the United States: Results from the 2001-2002 NESARC survey. Alcohol Research & Health, 2004;28(4): 269-280.
Cook SH, Bauermeister JA, Gordon-Messer D, Zimmerman MA. Online network influences on emerging adults' alcohol and drug use. J Youth Adolesc. 2013 Nov;42(11):1674-86. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9869-1. Epub 2012 Dec 2.
PubMed 23212348
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Digital Motivational Behavioral Economic Intervention to Reduce Risky Drinking Among Community-Dwelling Emerging Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05443750
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Horizons / IRB202201411
- Conditions
- Alcohol Drinking
- Keywords
- risky drinking reduction, emerging adults, social networks
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 806 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of FloridaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Study start
- 9 Jan 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 2 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Jul 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Emerging adult risky drinkers living in disadvantaged communities often have limited access to rewarding activities and adult roles that offer alternatives to heavy drinking. Guided by behavioral economics, this cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate a brief behavioral intervention aimed at increasing future orientation and engaging pro-social alternatives to drinking delivered using a peer-driven sampling method and digital platform well suited for accessing their social networks.
Detailed description
Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) to reduce risky drinking in college students are well established as beneficial, but the needs of emerging adult (EA) risky drinkers who live in disadvantaged communities and are not fulltime college students have been neglected. They tend to have more constrained access to rewarding opportunities, adult roles, and activities that present pro-social alternatives to heavy drinking. When coupled with the foreshortened time horizons typical of many EAs, this suggests the need for interventions that not only enhance motivation to reduce drinking, but guide EAs to engage in alternatives to heavy drinking and orient their behavior toward longer-term positive goals. Guided by behavioral economics (BE), this study will disseminate and evaluate a brief motivational BE intervention that combines BMI elements with the Substance Free Activity Session shown to reduce drinking by increasing future orientation and engagement in pro-social alternatives. The intervention will be delivered using a digital platform appropriate for EAs whose social networks operate through such communications. Because peers influence substance use, a peer-driven sampling method (Respondent Driven Sampling [RDS]) will be used to recruit 500 community-dwelling EAs ages 18-28 for a cluster randomized controlled trial that compares the intervention with a health education control condition. Additional EA target population members ("seed" participants, n = 250) will start RDS recruitment but are not part of the intervention evaluation sample. The evaluation study will assess participants' drinking practices and problems, BE outcome predictors, and social networks at enrollment and at 1, 6, and 12-month follow-ups. Intervention efficacy and behavior change mechanisms will be examined. Reduced alcohol demand and delay discounting and favorable post-intervention shifts in future orientation, substance-free vs. substance-involved activities, and use of protective behavioral strategies to reduce drinking-related harms are predicted to mediate intervention effects. Social network analysis will assess whether the intervention attenuates network promotion of individual drinking. The study will be the first to test a web-based alcohol reduction intervention focused on BE principles and to use digital RDS to reach community-dwelling EAs for intervention. The study will translate and test BE mediators and moderators of change, and the digital intervention has high potential for reach and scalability with under-served community risk groups.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- brief web-based motivational behavioral economic alcohol intervention compared to web-based health education control materials
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Behavioral Economic Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol InterventionWeb-based alcohol risk reduction brief intervention |
| Health Education | Active comparator | Behavioral: Health EducationWeb-based health education material |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 28 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Males and females ages 18-28 who are not enrolled fulltime in 4-year colleges/universities and who reside in disadvantaged North and Central Florida communities
- Past 30-day alcohol use exceeding NIAAA (2005) single day limits for lower risk drinking (4 drinks for males; 3 drinks for women) and one or more alcohol-related negative consequences in the past 90 days
- Web access via smartphone or computer; and (4) minimum 8th grade education, the level necessary to use study materials.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Age out of range
- Blood relatives of previously enrolled participants
- Invalid enrollment referral number
- Fulltime college students
- Absence of above drinking risk indicators
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol InterventionThe intervention combines an alcohol brief motivational intervention (US-THRIVE [Tertiary Health Research Intervention via Email]) with the Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS), shown to reduce drinking and related negative consequences by increasing future orientation and engagement in pro-social alternatives to drinking. The intervention will be delivered using a web-based platform appropriate for the young adult target population whose social networks operate through such communications. | Behavioural | Motivational Behavioral Economic Intervention |
| Health EducationParticipants view web-based health educational material about alcohol, sleep, and nutrition of a similar length and style to the experimental intervention materials. | Behavioural | Health Education |
Primary outcome
Change from baseline Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
At each assessment point, participants will complete an online TLFB concerning their daily drinking during the past month, an interval found sufficiently long to characterize drinking patterns. Using a calendar that covers the 30-day recall interval, participants record how many standard drinks of beer, wine, or liquor they consumed each day. Drinks per week will be calculated for tests of study hypotheses along with other metrics for descriptive purposes (frequency of gender adjusted heavy and high intensity drinking days).The TLFB is considered the "gold standard" for obtaining reliable and accurate reports of alcohol consumption using a variety of assessment modalities (e.g., interview, online, phone) and is accepted by the FDA for use as an efficacy endpoint of percentage of heavy drinking days in clinical trials.
Change from baseline Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
At each assessment point, participants will complete an online TLFB concerning their daily drinking during the past month, an interval found sufficiently long to characterize drinking patterns. Using a calendar that covers the 30-day recall interval, participants record how many standard drinks of beer, wine, or liquor they consumed each day. Drinks per week will be calculated for tests of study hypotheses along with other metrics for descriptive purposes (frequency of gender adjusted heavy and high intensity drinking days).The TLFB is considered the "gold standard" for obtaining reliable and accurate reports of alcohol consumption using a variety of assessment modalities (e.g., interview, online, phone) and is accepted by the FDA for use as an efficacy endpoint of percentage of heavy drinking days in clinical trials.
Change from baseline Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire asks about 24 negative events during the past month (e.g., neglected obligations, driving after drinking) and includes common and less severe consequences suitable for use with younger populations. The B-YAACQ is reliable yet sensitive to changes in alcohol use, has high internal consistency, and includes common but less severe consequences. Scores, ranging from 0-24, are predicted by typical drinking as well as by BE-relevant indices of impulsivity and poor self-regulation. Higher scores indicate participants are experiencing more negative events associated with their drinking.
Change from baseline Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) scores at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire asks about 24 negative events during the past month (e.g., neglected obligations, driving after drinking) and includes common and less severe consequences suitable for use with younger populations. The B-YAACQ is reliable yet sensitive to changes in alcohol use, has high internal consistency, and includes common but less severe consequences. Scores, ranging from 0-24, are predicted by typical drinking as well as by BE-relevant indices of impulsivity and poor self-regulation. Higher scores indicate participants are experiencing more negative events associated with their drinking.
8 secondary outcomes
Change from baseline Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule-Substance Use Version (ARSS-SUV) at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule-Substance Use Version (ARSS-SUV) at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Minute Discounting Task at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Minute Discounting Task at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Relative Discretionary Expenditures on Alcohol (RDEA) at 6 months post-baseline
Time frame: 6 months post-baseline
Change from baseline Relative Discretionary Expenditures on Alcohol (RDEA) at 12 months post-baseline
Time frame: 12 months post-baseline
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Aug 2026.
- Background: PubMed 10842426Arnett JJ. Emerging adulthood. A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. Am Psychol. 2000 May;55(5):469-80.
- BackgroundArnett, J. J. The developmental context of substance use in emerging adulthood. Journal of Drug Issues, 2005;35(2): 235-254.
- Background: PubMed 22846248Bauermeister JA, Zimmerman MA, Johns MM, Glowacki P, Stoddard S, Volz E. Innovative recruitment using online networks: lessons learned from an online study of alcohol and other drug use utilizing a web-based, respondent-driven sampling (webRDS) strategy. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2012 Sep;73(5):834-8. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2012.73.834.
- BackgroundBabor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Robaina, K. USAUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, adapted for use in the United States: A guide for primary care practitioners. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2016.
- Background: PubMed 24990587Broz D, Wejnert C, Pham HT, DiNenno E, Heffelfinger JD, Cribbin M, Krishna N, Teshale EH, Paz-Bailey G; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System Study Group. HIV infection and risk, prevention, and testing behaviors among injecting drug users -- National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, 20 U.S. cities, 2009. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2014 Jul 4;63(6):1-51.
- Background: PubMed 21198220Buscemi J, Murphy JG, Martens MP, McDevitt-Murphy ME, Dennhardt AA, Skidmore JR. Help-seeking for alcohol-related problems in college students: correlates and preferred resources. Psychol Addict Behav. 2010 Dec;24(4):571-80. doi: 10.1037/a0021122.
- Background: PubMed 21407032Call KT, Davern M, Boudreaux M, Johnson PJ, Nelson J. Bias in telephone surveys that do not sample cell phones: uses and limits of poststratification adjustments. Med Care. 2011 Apr;49(4):355-64. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182028ac7.
- Background: PubMed 22951546Campbell MK, Piaggio G, Elbourne DR, Altman DG; CONSORT Group. Consort 2010 statement: extension to cluster randomised trials. BMJ. 2012 Sep 4;345:e5661. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e5661. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 20731981Carter AC, Brandon KO, Goldman MS. The college and noncollege experience: a review of the factors that influence drinking behavior in young adulthood. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2010 Sep;71(5):742-50. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2010.71.742.
- Background: PubMed 34429032Cheong J, Lindstrom K, Chandler SD, Bacon JP, Tucker JA. Social Network Feedback and Drinking Outcomes among Emerging Adult Risky Drinkers Living in Urban Communities. Subst Use Misuse. 2021;56(13):1989-1996. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1963985. Epub 2021 Aug 25.
- Background: PubMed 24531637Cheong J, Tucker JA, Simpson CA, Chandler SD. Time horizons and substance use among African American youths living in disadvantaged urban areas. Addict Behav. 2014 Apr;39(4):818-23. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.12.016. Epub 2014 Jan 7.
- Background: PubMed 30328693Cheong J, Tucker JA, Chandler SD. Reasons for Accepting and Declining Free HIV Testing and Counseling Among Young African American Women Living in Disadvantaged Southern Urban Communities. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2019 Jan;33(1):25-31. doi: 10.1089/apc.2018.0090. Epub 2018 Oct 17.
- Link to access the Egonet software (McCarty \& Smith, 2014)Link provided by the sponsor.
- Link to access the NIAAA's "Helping patients who drink too much: A clinician's guide."Link provided by the sponsor.
- Link to access National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2018Link provided by the sponsor.
- Link to access National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2020Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Project data will be submitted as required to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Data Archive (NDA), which is a data repository that houses and shares human subjects data generated by NIAAA-funded research. Sharing individual participant data (IPD) is governed by the NDA data sharing terms and conditions. When data are uploaded, each participant has an associated Global Unique ID, or GUID.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jalie A Tucker, PhD, MPH principal investigator
University of Florida
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Motivational Behavioral Economic Alcohol Intervention and Health Education in people with Alcohol Drinking, run by University of Florida at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change from baseline Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 6 months post-baseline (time frame: 6 months post-baseline). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05443750, which also lists 69 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Aug 2026.