Culturally Adapting Spiritually and Technologically Informed Interventions to Reduce Alcohol-Related Health Disparities among Latinx Young Adults

Tulane University Of Louisiana, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY This is a K01 award application for Dr. Hang Hai, a young investigator with a strong commitment to reducing alcohol-related health inequities among people of color (long-term goal). This K01 award will provide mentorship and research experience to advance her intermediate goal of becoming an independent NIAAA investigator with expertise in developing scalable, culturally appropriate, technology-enhanced, spirituality- integrated alcohol interventions for Latinx young adults (YAs). This award will facilitate Dr. Hai’s achievement of the following training goals (TG): to develop critical knowledge and skills in 1) the development of mobile health alcohol interventions, 2) qualitative research methods for cultural adaptation of alcohol interventions for Latinx populations, 3) the role of spirituality in alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery and spirituality-integrated alcohol interventions, including 12-step programs, and 4) alcohol misuse among YAs. Dr. Hai has assembled a multidisciplinary mentorship team with internationally recognized experts in each training area. She will achieve her training goals through mentored training and research, directed readings, formal coursework, and training institutes/programs. To acquire hands-on research experience in all training areas, Dr. Hai proposes an innovative, mentored research study focused on developing a smartphone-app-based intervention for Latinx YAs with AUD. Latinx YAs are a large and rapidly growing population particularly vulnerable to alcohol-related disparities. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has the potential to help lift this public health burden but is underused by Latinx YAs. 12-Step Facilitation (TSF), an evidence-based, professionally delivered, spirituality-integrated intervention specifically designed to promote AA engagement, is a promising tool to help leverage AA. However, literature and preliminary data show that adaptation is needed to ensure TSF is effective, accessible, scalable, and culturally appropriate for Latinx YAs. In response to this need, the proposed research aims to adapt TSF in three critical ways: 1) to increase TSF’s socio-cultural appropriateness for Latinx YAs, we will add an intervention component to address the link between drinking problems and minority status-related factors, such as ethnic discrimination and acculturation stress; 2) update TSF’s spirituality-related language and content to better resonate with Latinx YAs; and 3) adapt TSF into a smartphone-app-based intervention (eTSF) to maximize intervention accessibility and scalability. The proposed research aligns with the NIH-wide strategic plan’s aim to “improve minority health and reduce health disparities” and NIAAA’s strategic plan Objective 4a to “Improve existing behavioral treatments for alcohol use disorder” through “use[ing] electronic health technologies including mobile devices.” This study will lay the groundwork for testing a fully powered randomized trial (R01 submission in Year 5) and expanding eTSF’s scope to include other minoritized populations in the future.