REMIT: Development of a mHealth theory-based intervention to decrease heavy episodic drinking among college students

Abstract

mHealth apps are an effective means of delivering health interventions, and the college-age population is particularly proficient at using apps. Informed by current theories of Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Change, investigators have developed a self-monitoring app—Reductions through Ecological Momentary/Motivational Intervention/Transtheoretical (REMIT)—with the aim of reducing hazardous drinking among college students. The app was developed using the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework. This step-by-step process for developing digital behavior change interventions was conducted in five phases to: (1) understand the users, (2) determine target behavior, (3) base the intervention in behavioral theory; (4) create delivery strategies, and (5) develop the REMIT prototype. REMIT uses assessments (informed by EMI) and components of MI and TTM to guide administration of nine modules designed to engage users in reducing alcohol use and related problems. REMIT users self-monitor their alcohol consumption and develop strategies to change drinking behaviors using a range of easy-to-use features, such as the Virtual Coach, automated text messages, interactive gaming mechanisms (gamification), drink consumption tracking, and Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) calculators. mHealth interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol use among college students when they are applied in real-life, real-time contexts. REMIT is a theory-based app that incorporates user-friendly features to reduce hazardous drinking among college students. The next step is to conduct a pilot trial to test the efficacy of the app and enhance the REMIT prototype.

Keywords:

• Motivational interviewing
• ecological momentary interventions
• transtheoretical model
• alcohol
• App
• mHealth
• college students

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Grant 1R21 HS023875-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of AHRQ, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.