Expanding the Reach of Proven Alcohol Abuse Prevention

Change Companies, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) Alcohol abuse and harm from heavy drinking pose a persistent public health crisis on America's college campuses. High incidence of harm resulting from heavy drinking and a string of student deaths related to alcohol has been well documented. Also, studies show that the only significant change in heavy drinking on college campuses in the last decade is the overall increase in the incidence of risky drinking by female students. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the problem and significant investment in research to develop prevention models, campuses have largely failed to stem the tide of alcohol abuse. This failure is due largely to the fact that there is a disconnect between the focus of most research on proving what works in controlled research settings as compared to the practical implementation requirements that constrain campuses nationally. This project will create an innovative new approach to alcohol abuse prevention for college students that builds upon leading evidence-based research with a focus on packaging that research with a delivery system that solves the problem of effective delivery to large numbers of students. The new program will integrate a proven, internet-based assessment and motivational feedback process with a widely-used structured jounaling process to deepen student understanding and help students personally apply core program information. The new program will be developed in partnership between a leading national research institution on alcohol abuse prevention for college students, a leading national scholar on motivational enhancement, a major state university and a nationally recognized small business dedicated entirely to the development of behavioral change curriculum for rehabilitation and prevention education. The resulting program will enable campuses to easily, quickly, and cost-effectively deliver to all students a proven-effective prevention program that is based entirely upon national award-winning research and totally consistent with the Tier One principles of effectiveness recently established by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.