Social Media Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Use Among Youth

Introduction: Despite numerous intervention efforts, risky drinking among adolescents and emerging adults remains prevalent, which is concerning given its association with other risk behaviors (e.g., drug use, drinking/driving) and health consequences (e.g., injury, overdose). The integration of alcohol interventions into popular social media platforms is a potentially exciting yet underutilized public health approach. Social media provides frequent interaction with online social networks, increasing exposure to peer influences.

Methods: In order to change alcohol use norms and behaviors, critical knowledge gaps in this area are how to capitalize on peer interaction in order to increase user-generated content, and identify intervention content that has the greatest diffusion. Thus, the proposed study will recruit adolescents and emerging adults (ages 16-24) using Facebook ads, and conduct online e-screening, enrolling 850 risky drinkers, who screen positive on the AUDIT-C, in a randomized controlled trial comparing three conditions: 8- week Social Media Intervention + Diffusion Incentives [i.e., gamification in which points earned for diffusion of participant's posts (responses by peer participants) result in monetary incentives]; 8-week Social Media Intervention Only, or 8-week attention placebo e-news control condition. Intervention conditions will involve access to secret Facebook group pages, separate by age group (16-20; 21-24), facilitated by peer e-health coaches, who will post dynamic content primarily focusing on alcohol use, but also addressing other drug use (illicit, non-medical prescription). Outcomes will be measured at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Results: We will discuss the design and initial challenges of a newly-funded study that is recruiting adolescents and emerging adults using Facebook ads, and conducting online e-screening, and enrolling risky drinkers in a randomized controlled trial comparing three 8-week social media intervention conditions: Intervention + Diffusion Incentives, Intervention Only, and an e-news attention control condition. Thus, we will enhance and vary dose to provide clues to the type of content that maximizes diffusion and outcomes.

Conclusions: These innovative design features will provide the critical next step in harnessing social media to reduce alcohol misuse, which could have enormous public health impact by altering the alcohol use trajectories of youth.