Reductions in Drinking and Alcohol-Related Harms Reported by First-Year College Students Taking an Online Alcohol Education Course: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

A randomized control trial was conducted at a midsized private university in the Northeast to evaluate the short-term impact of AlcoholEdu for College 8.0, an online alcohol course for first-year students. In September 2007, 1,620 matriculated first-year students were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or an assessment-only control group. Both groups of students completed a baseline survey and knowledge test. Treatment group students finished the course, took a second knowledge test, and 30 days later completed a postintervention survey. Control group students completed the postintervention survey and knowledge test during the same time period. Compared with the control group, treatment group students reported a significantly lower level of alcohol use, fewer negative drinking consequences, and less positive alcohol-related attitudes. AlcoholEdu 8.0 had a positive impact on the first-year students' alcohol-related attitudes, behaviors, and consequences. Additional investigations of online alcohol education courses are warranted.

The authors thank Suzanne Smeltzer, Marcia Costello, and Sheryl Bowen for their guidance on this study. Rose Sebastianelli, from the University of Scranton, and Jacey Greece, from the Boston University School of Public Health, deserve special recognition for their contributions to the preliminary data analyses. Thanks also are due to the staff at the host university who helped supervise and administer the study.

Notes

^a See the Methods section for definitions of the variables.

^b Reported degrees of freedom vary, as students were not compelled to complete every survey item. ns = not statistically significant.

^c ANCOVA controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, baseline knowledge, and baseline alcohol use (total number of drinks consumed in the past 2 weeks).

^d Controlled for baseline alcohol use by using the proportion of heavy, episodic drinking.

^e For composite variables, a student was excluded if data for any of the component items were missing. ANCOVA controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, baseline knowledge, baseline alcohol use (total number of drinks consumed in the past 2 weeks), and baseline scores on the variable.