Balance-a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of an online intensive self-help alcohol intervention

AimsTo compare a brief versus a brief plus intensive self-help version of Balance', a fully automated online alcohol intervention, on self-reported alcohol consumption. DesignA pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Participants in both conditions received an online single session screening procedure including personalized normative feedback. The control group also received an online booklet about the effects of alcohol. The treatment group received the online multi-session follow-up program, Balance. SettingOnline study in Norway. ParticipantsAt-risk drinkers were recruited by internet advertisements and assigned randomly to one of the two conditions (n=244). MeasurementsThe primary outcome was self-reported alcohol consumption the previous week measured 6 months after screening. FindingsRegression analysis, using baseline carried forward imputation (intent-to-treat), with baseline variables as covariates, showed that intervention significantly affected alcohol consumption at 6 months (B=2.96; 95% confidence interval=0.02-5.90; P=0.049). Participants in the intensive self-help group drank an average of three fewer standard alcohol units compared with participants in the brief self-help group. ConclusionsThe online Balance intervention, added to a brief online screening intervention, may aid reduction in alcohol consumption compared with the screening intervention and an educational booklet.