A pilot study of an interactive web site in the workplace for reducing alcohol consumption
Preliminary versions of this study were presented at the following conferences: Workplace Substance Abuse Prevention: Visualizing The Future—Research, Practices, and Policy, Crystal City, VA, 2001; e-Therapy, Telehealth, Telepsychiatry, and Beyond Conference, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment, Rockville, MD, 2004; Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, Denver, CO, 2006; and Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, San Francisco, CA, 2006.
An interactive web-site-based intervention for reducing alcohol consumption was pilot tested. Participants were 145 employees of a work site in the Silicon Valley region of California, categorized as low or moderate risk for alcohol problems. All participants were given access to a web site that provided feedback on their levels of stress and use of coping strategies. Participants randomized to the full individualized feedback condition also received individualized feedback about their risk for alcohol-related problems. Some evidence was found for greater alcohol reduction among participants who received full individualized feedback, although due to difficulties in recruiting participants, the sample size was inadequate for evaluating treatment effects on drinking. The results provide preliminary support for using an interactive web site to provide individualized feedback for persons at risk for alcohol problems. However, the low participation rate (2.7%) suggests that such an intervention must address the challenges of recruiting employees through their work site.
