Use of Social Networking Web sites For Problem Drinking Screening in Adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究将试点测试使用社交网站（SNS）招募青少年进行问题酒精使用筛查。青少年发病和死亡的主要原因与饮酒有关；然而，大多数有酗酒风险或有酗酒问题的青少年并没有通过筛查被发现。大多数关于青少年酒精使用的研究使用的样本来自诊所、学校或社区；然而，网络社区对青少年来说越来越重要。在使用互联网的美国青少年中，有超过一半的人拥有社交网站的个人资料，许多青少年在他们的个人资料中显示了有关酒精的信息。在网上公开显示有关酒精的信息可能是饮酒问题的一个标志。这项研究将招募年龄在16到20岁之间的青少年，他们在MySpace网站上有公开的个人资料。我们将评估受试者在MySpace上的酒精参考资料，并通过电子邮件招募受试者，使用craft屏幕进行在线问题酒精使用筛查。本研究的主要目的是确定在青少年人群中使用SNS进行craft筛查的招募是否可行。我们还将确定医生和非医生通过电子邮件发送的应答率是否会有所不同。最后，我们将比较在社交网络上显示酒精参考信息的青少年与不显示酒精参考信息的青少年的craft饮酒问题得分。社交网络有潜力成为一种高度创新的方法，用于识别和有针对性地筛查青少年中的酒精使用问题。本研究的结果有可能在社交网络个人资料上自我展示的健康信息和通过调查自我报告的健康信息之间建立联系。此外，这项评估的结果有可能影响公共卫生实践，展示如何利用公共网站和电子邮件通信将青少年健康筛查扩大到互联网。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This study will pilot test the use of a social networking Web site (SNS) to recruit adolescents for problem alcohol use screening. The leading causes of morbidity and mortality in adolescence are associated with alcohol use; however, most adolescents at risk for or engaging in problem alcohol use are not identified via screening. Most studies of adolescent alcohol use have been conducted using samples derived from clinics, schools or communities; however, online communities are of increasing importance to teens. More than half of Internet-using U.S. adolescents report ownership of a SNS profile, and many adolescents display alcohol references on their profiles. The public display of alcohol references online may be an indicator of problem drinking. This study will recruit adolescents with publicly available MySpace web profiles who report ages between 16 and 20 years. We will evaluate subjects' MySpace profiles for alcohol references, and recruit subjects by email to an online problem alcohol use screening using the CRAFFT screen. This study has the primary objective of determining whether recruiting for CRAFFT screening using SNS is feasible in an adolescent population. We will also determine whether response rates to completing CRAFFT screening differ if the email approach is from a physician versus non-physician. Finally, we will compare adolescents who display alcohol references on a SNS to those who do not with respect to CRAFFT problem drinking scores. SNS have the potential to be a highly innovative approach towards identification and targeted screening of problem alcohol use among adolescents. The results of this study have the potential to establish links between self-displayed health information on SNS profiles and self-reported health information via survey. Further, the results of this evaluation have the potential to impact public health practice by demonstrating how to expand adolescent health screening to the Internet using public Web sites and email communication. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This study will pilot test the use of a social networking Web site to recruit adolescents for problem alcohol use screening. Social networking Web sites are immensely popular among adolescents and may be an untapped resource for identifying adolescents' displayed behaviors as well as providing communication and health information. The study may provide valuable clues to the validity of adolescents' displayed health risk behavior information on MySpace profiles by linking self-displayed information to self-reported information. Thus, the results of this study will help us determine if SNSs are a valid venue for identification of adolescents at risk for problem drinking and whether displayed information on SNS is associated with problem drinking scores on screening tests. The results of this evaluation have the potential to impact public health practice by demonstrating how to expand adolescent health screening to the Internet using public Web sites and email communication.