WITHDRAWN: An Evaluation of e-Checkup to GO in Canada: The Mediating Role of Changes in Social Norm Misperceptions

Introduction:Alcohol use and related problems continue to be key concerns among college administrators internationally. As a result, web-based alcohol interventions continue to grow in popularity across college campuses due to the relatively low-cost and ease of dissemination, yet their dissemination currently far exceeds their evidence of effectiveness. The e-CHECKUP TO GO program (e-CHUG) is one of the briefest electronic interventions currently available for college students and over 600 Universities and colleges have adopted e-CHUG internationally. The wide international dissemination of e-CHUG presents an urgent need to validate its effectiveness across various student populations and identify the components that make it effective. The present study is the first to evaluate the e-CHECKUP TO GO program (e-CHUG) in a Canadian sample. The current study examines the efficacy of the e-CHUG program to reduce alcohol use, related problems, and norm misperceptions in a sample of first-year Canadian students living on-campus. We also investigated whether changes in norm misperceptions mediated the intervention effects of the e-CHUG program on drinking outcomes over time.

Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial (N= 245; 66% female) with first-year Canadian students living on-campus at a mid-size Canadian university. Two-thirds of participants were randomly assigned to the program condition (n = 145) and one-third to the assessment-only control condition (75). Participants were invited to participate in August, prior to arriving at university and completed follow-up assessments at 3 months (November) and 5 months (January). Models were run using structural equation modeling in Mplus 7.11.

Results: There were no differences in drinking outcomes between program and control participants as a result of the e-Chug program at 3- or 5-month follow-ups. However, program participants had lower norm misperceptions about peers drinking compared to control participants at 3-month and 5-month follow-up assessments. Furthermore, changes in norm misperceptions at 3-months mediated the effect of the program on drinking outcomes at 5-months, such that e-Chug had an indirect effect on drinking through correction of norm misperceptions. All effect sizes were in the small-mid range using Cohen’s d.

Conclusions: University is a critical period in which drinking patterns are established. e-CHECKUP TO GO may be a promising tool for addressing norm misperceptions and subsequent drinking for Canadian students. More work is needed to determine the optimal timing of program delivery and assess whether the effectiveness of the program is greater prior to enrollment or later in the academic year.