Handheld Computer Diaries to Enhance Alcohol Assessment

描述(申请人提供)：问题饮酒是一个重大的公共健康问题，与一系列负面后果有关，本科生尤其容易受到极端饮酒和滥用酒精的影响。尽管在酒精监测和预防研究方面取得了重大进展，但有效和高效地评估个人饮酒的数量、频率、模式和背景仍然是一项方法学挑战。为了应对这一挑战，我们建议开发和评估一种最先进的方法，使用无线手持计算机进行每日回顾酒精评估。我们的跨学科计算机数据收集和大学生酒精评估专家团队建议开发无线手持酒精评估工具(What-A)，并在两个大学校园(南卡罗来纳州立大学和南卡罗来纳大学)对其进行评估，共有280名本科生(140名非裔美国人和140名白人男性和女性)，年龄在18-23岁之间。这项评估研究将使用随机、两个阶段的交叉设计，包括基线和两个后续评估，以比较What-A与纸笔管理的饮酒自我监测日志(DSML)和时间线回馈评估(TLFB)。这项研究的具体目的是：(1)测量使用What-A、DSML和TLFB的个体在自我报告的饮酒数量、频率和背景方面的相对差异；(2)建立使用What-A管理的酒精评估工具的可靠性；以及(3)探索使用无线手持计算机进行健康促进干预的潜力。数据分析将包括几种类型的重复测量分析，以比较3种评估工具，包括两阶段交叉的两阶段方法。所有重复测量的分析都将使用SAS Proc MIXED软件进行均值模型，分别估计每种评估工具的均值和酒精评估方法之间的平均差异。此外，关于饮酒频率和背景的每日计数数据(即受试者30天内饮酒日事件)将使用泊松回归进行分析，以帮助评估饮酒率的变化模式。鉴于大学生高风险饮酒面临的巨大挑战，以及现有酒精评估工具和方法的局限性，迫切需要探索开发新的创新酒精评估方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Problem drinking is a significant public health problem associated with an array of negative consequences, and undergraduate college students are particularly vulnerable for extreme alcohol use and abuse. Despite significant advances in alcohol surveillance and prevention research, effectively and efficiently assessing the quantity, frequency, patterns and context in which individuals consume alcohol remains a methodological challenge. To address this challenge, we propose to develop and evaluate a state-of-the-art approach to daily retrospective alcohol assessment using wireless handheld computers. Our interdisciplinary team of experts in computer-based-data-collection and college student alcohol assessment propose to develop the Wireless Handheld Assessment Tool for Alcohol (WHAT-A) and to evaluate it on two college campuses (South Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina) with 280 undergraduate college students (140 African American and 140 White males and females), from 18-23 year of age. The evaluation study will use a randomized, two-period, crossover design, with baseline and two follow-up assessments to compare the WHAT-A to paper-and-pencil administered Drinking Self Monitoring Logs (DSML) and Timeline Followback assessments (TLFB). The specific aims of this study are: (1) To measure the relative differences in self-reported quantity, frequency, and context of alcohol consumption among individuals using WHAT-A, DSML, and TLFB; (2) To establish the reliability of alcohol assessment instruments administered using the WHAT-A; and, (3) To explore the potential of using the wireless handheld computers for health promotion interventions. Data analysis will include several types of repeated-measures analyses to compare the 3 assessment tools including the two-stage method for the two-period crossover. All repeated-measures analyses will be performed with a means model using SAS Proc Mixed software, providing separate estimates of the means for each assessment tool and for the mean difference between the methods of alcohol assessment. Additionally the daily count data on frequency and contexts of alcohol consumption (i.e., the 30-day within-subject drinking day events) will be analyzed using Poisson regression to help evaluate patterns of change in rate of alcohol consumption. Given the significant challenges surrounding high-risk drinking among college students and limitations of existing alcohol assessment instruments and approaches, there is a compelling need to explore the development of new innovative approaches for alcohol assessment.