The impact of a brief web-based intervention on improving awareness of the need to reduce alcohol consumption during pregnancy among high-risk female college student drinkers: a quasi-experimental study

TL;DR

A short online program helped high-risk female college drinkers better understand the need to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.

Contribution

A brief web-based intervention effectively improved awareness and self-efficacy regarding alcohol use during pregnancy.

Findings

The intervention significantly improved attitudes toward drinking during pregnancy.

Participants showed stronger intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy.

Drinking refusal self-efficacy improved significantly in the intervention group.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of a brief web-based intervention for female college students with high-risk drinking on current drinking habits, as well as future intention and awareness regarding abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy.

This quasi-experimental study recruited female college students with high-risk drinking and assigned them to either an intervention group (n=23) or a control group (n=23) based on availability and preference. The intervention group received a brief web-based session (30 minutes) focused on alcohol use prevention for future pregnancies and monitored their daily drinking using a mobile app for 1 month. Outcome measures included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, variables derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitude, subjective norms, and intention) related to pregnancy, drinking refusal self-efficacy, and alcohol outcome expectancies. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

There were significant changes in the mean differences from baseline scores between the groups with respect to positive attitudes toward drinking during pregnancy (t=−2.59, p=.013) and intentions to abstain from drinking during pregnancy (t=2.35, p=.005). Repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant interaction between group and time for both attitude (F=6.69, p=.013) and intention (F=8.58, p=.005). In addition, a significant improvement in drinking refusal self-efficacy was observed (t=2.49, p=.016).

The brief web-based intervention significantly improved attitudes toward drinking during pregnancy, intentions to abstain from drinking during pregnancy, and drinking refusal self-efficacy, highlighting both the effectiveness and importance of this intervention.

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