TY - JOUR
T1 - mHealth Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Use in Young People
T2 - A Systematic Review of the Literature
AU - Hutton, Alison
AU - Prichard, Ivanka
AU - Whitehead, Dean
AU - Thomas, Susan
AU - Rubin, Mark
AU - Sloand, Elizabeth
AU - Powell, Terrinieka W.
AU - Frisch, Keri
AU - Newman, Peter
AU - Goodwin Veenema, Tener
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2020/7/2
Y1 - 2020/7/2
N2 - Harmful use of alcohol has serious effects on public health and is considered a significant risk factor for poor health. mHealth technology promotes health behavior change and enhances health through increased social opportunities for encouragement and support. It remains unknown whether these types of applications directly influence the health status of young people in reducing harmful levels of alcohol consumption. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine current evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth technology use in positively influencing alcohol-related behaviors of young people without known alcohol addiction. Relevant articles published from 2005 to January 2017 were identified through electronic searches of eight databases. Studies with interventions delivered by mHealth (social networking sites, SMS and mobile phone applications) to young people aged 12–26 years were included. Outcome measures were alcohol use, reduction in alcohol consumption or behavior change. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions varied in design, participant characteristics, settings, length and outcome measures. Ten studies reported some effectiveness related to interventions with nine reporting a reduction in alcohol consumption. Use of mHealth, particularly text messaging (documented as SMS), was found to be an acceptable, affordable and effective way to deliver messages about reducing alcohol consumption to young people. Further research using adequately powered sample sizes in varied settings, with adequate periods of intervention and follow-up, underpinned by theoretical perspectives incorporating behavior change in young people’s use of alcohol, is needed.
AB - Harmful use of alcohol has serious effects on public health and is considered a significant risk factor for poor health. mHealth technology promotes health behavior change and enhances health through increased social opportunities for encouragement and support. It remains unknown whether these types of applications directly influence the health status of young people in reducing harmful levels of alcohol consumption. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine current evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth technology use in positively influencing alcohol-related behaviors of young people without known alcohol addiction. Relevant articles published from 2005 to January 2017 were identified through electronic searches of eight databases. Studies with interventions delivered by mHealth (social networking sites, SMS and mobile phone applications) to young people aged 12–26 years were included. Outcome measures were alcohol use, reduction in alcohol consumption or behavior change. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions varied in design, participant characteristics, settings, length and outcome measures. Ten studies reported some effectiveness related to interventions with nine reporting a reduction in alcohol consumption. Use of mHealth, particularly text messaging (documented as SMS), was found to be an acceptable, affordable and effective way to deliver messages about reducing alcohol consumption to young people. Further research using adequately powered sample sizes in varied settings, with adequate periods of intervention and follow-up, underpinned by theoretical perspectives incorporating behavior change in young people’s use of alcohol, is needed.
KW - Mhealth
KW - alcohol
KW - behavior change
KW - text messages
KW - young people
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U2 - 10.1080/24694193.2019.1616008
DO - 10.1080/24694193.2019.1616008
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31192698
AN - SCOPUS:85086413755
SN - 2469-4193
VL - 43
SP - 171
EP - 202
JO - Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing
JF - Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing
IS - 3
ER -