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A mobile phone intervention to reduce binge drinking among disadvantaged men: study protocol for a randomised controlled cost-effectiveness trial
- Source :
- Trials
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- BioMed Central, 2014.
-
Abstract
- Background Socially disadvantaged men are at a substantially higher risk of developing alcohol-related problems. The frequency of heavy drinking in a single session is high among disadvantaged men. Brief alcohol interventions were developed for, and are usually delivered in, healthcare settings. The group who binge drink most frequently, young to middle-aged disadvantaged men, have less contact with health services and there is a need for an alternative method of intervention delivery. Text messaging has been used successfully to modify other adverse health behaviours. This study will test whether text messages can reduce the frequency of binge drinking by disadvantaged men. Methods/design Disadvantaged men aged 25 to 44 years who drank >8 units of alcohol at least twice in the preceding month will be recruited from the community. Two recruitment strategies will be used: contacting men listed in primary care registers, and a community outreach method (time-space sampling). The intended sample of 798 men will be randomised to intervention or control, stratifying by recruitment method. The intervention group will receive a series of text messages designed to reduce the frequency of binge drinking through the formation of specific action plans. The control group will receive behaviourally neutral text messages intended to promote retention in the study. The primary outcome measure is the proportion of men consuming >8 units on at least three occasions in the previous 30 days. Secondary outcomes include total alcohol consumption and the frequency of consuming more than 16 units of alcohol in one session in the previous month. Process measures, developed during a previous feasibility study, will monitor engagement with the key behaviour change components of the intervention. The study will incorporate an economic evaluation comparing the costs of recruitment and intervention delivery with the benefits of reduced alcohol-related harm. Discussion This study will assess the effectiveness of a brief intervention, delivered by text messages, aimed at reducing the frequency of binge drinking in disadvantaged men. The process measures will identify components of the intervention which contribute to effectiveness. The study will also determine whether any benefit of the intervention is justified by the costs of intervening. Trial registration ISRCTN07695192. Date assigned: 14 August 2013.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Time Factors
Cost effectiveness
Health Behavior
Binge drinking
Poison control
Medicine (miscellaneous)
610 Medicine & health
R Medicine (General)
Suicide prevention
law.invention
Study Protocol
Sex Factors
Randomized controlled trial
law
Intervention (counseling)
Environmental health
RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Injury prevention
Medicine
Humans
Pharmacology (medical)
Psychiatry
Binge drinking, disadvantaged men, mobile phone messages, randomised controlled trial
Poverty
Randomised controlled trial
Public health
Motivation
Text Messaging
Mobile phone messages
business.industry
Alcohol Abstinence
Age Factors
R1
Disadvantaged
Disadvantaged men
Treatment Outcome
Scotland
Health
Research Design
business
Cell Phone
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17456215
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Trials
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7710ee15059b659407d17e1f92928f6a