Personalized Feedback for Alcohol Consumption

(Project SHIFT Trial)

Overseen By Mary Larimer, Ph.D.

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Washington

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

The trial aims to develop a personalized feedback system to help individuals better understand their drinking habits. It will test a new intervention called CPNF, a personalized feedback program that provides customized feedback based on specific groups, such as younger or older students and student athletes. The trial includes various approaches, including a standard feedback method and an attention-matched control group for comparison. Students at the University of Washington who drink at least three times a month and consume three or more drinks per occasion may be suitable candidates. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to innovative research that could lead to more personalized and effective interventions for managing drinking habits.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) is generally safe and well-tolerated. This method has helped people reduce drinking problems. Studies have found that computer-delivered PNF effectively lowers alcohol consumption among college students and has only a small effect on alcohol-related issues, suggesting it is safe for most people.

The customizable version, CPNF, offers more personalized feedback and builds on the standard PNF's safety record. No specific evidence indicates negative effects from using these feedback methods. As this is not a drug-based approach, it is expected to be safe for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores a new way of delivering personalized feedback to help reduce alcohol consumption. Unlike traditional methods that offer standard feedback, the customizable personalized normative feedback (CPNF) allows individuals to receive truly personalized insights by comparing their drinking habits to a wider variety of peer groups. This tailored approach hopes to make feedback more engaging and relevant, potentially leading to better outcomes in reducing alcohol consumption. The trial is also testing how this method stacks up against standard feedback and an attention-matched control, which could pave the way for more effective interventions in the future.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for reducing alcohol consumption?

Research has shown that Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) programs, whether customizable or standard, help reduce alcohol consumption by comparing an individual's drinking habits to those of their peers. In this trial, participants may receive the customizable personalized normative feedback (CPNF) intervention, which allows users to explore drinking norms from different groups, potentially increasing engagement and effectiveness. Alternatively, participants may receive standard PNF or join the attention-matched control (AMC) group. A review of studies found that online personalized feedback can reduce drinking among college students by about 1.54 to 1.65 drinks per week. These programs modestly lower weekly drinking and alcohol-related issues, but their impact on heavy drinking sessions remains less certain. While both types have shown some success, results can vary, and the reasons for their differing effectiveness among individuals are not always clear. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Mary Larimer, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Washington

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals who consume alcohol and may be dealing with alcoholism. Specific details about inclusion and exclusion criteria are not provided, but typically participants should be of legal drinking age and willing to receive feedback on their drinking habits.

Inclusion Criteria

Pass attention-check items

Enrolled at the University of Washington either part- or full-time

Report 3 or more past-month drinking occasions

Exclusion Criteria

N/A

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline

Participants complete baseline assessments including alcohol use and perceived norms

1 week

Intervention

Participants receive either the CPNF intervention, standard PNF, or attention-matched control

4 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in alcohol use and perceived norms

3 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• CPNF

Trial Overview The study is testing three types of interventions: a control called Attention-Matched Control (AMC), standard Personalized normative feedback (PNF), and an innovative Customizable personalized normative feedback (CPNF) that lets users tailor the groups they compare their drinking habits with.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Attention-Matched Control (AMC) Active Control 1 Intervention

Attention-matched control.

Group II: CPNF Active Control 1 Intervention

Customizable personalized normative feedback (CPNF) intervention whereby individuals can explore normative feedback for a wider variety of referent groups so that PNF is a truly personalized and engaging experience.

Group III: standard PNF Active Control 1 Intervention

Standard personalized normative feedback.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Washington

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,858

Recruited

2,023,000+

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Collaborator

Trials

865

Recruited

1,091,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4392758/

Efficacy of Web-Based Personalized Normative Feedback Results from hierarchical generalized linear models provided modest effects on weekly drinking and alcohol-related problems but not on heavy episodic drinking.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871624002588

Booster effects and mechanisms of web-based ... Intervention reduced alcohol drinking at 1 month only and was not effective thereafter. Mechanisms of effect remain unclear.

3. ajpmonline.org ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(08)00968-9/fulltext

Curbing Problem Drinking with Personalized-Feedback ... The effectiveness of personalized-feedback interventions to reduce problem drinking has been evaluated in several RCTs and systematic reviews.

4. journals.plos.org journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248262

A systematic review and meta-analysis | PLOS One Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) may help address addictive disorders. PNF highlights discrepancies between perceived and actual peer ...

5. onlinelibrary.wiley.com onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13848

Effectiveness of web‐based personalised feedback ... The meta-analysis evidences the effectiveness of web-PFI for addressing university students' alcohol use, decreasing by 1.65 and 1.54 drinks consumed per week.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8016245/

The efficacy of Personalized Normative Feedback ... Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) may help address addictive disorders. PNF highlights discrepancies between perceived and actual peer ...

7. journals.plos.org journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139518

Stand-Alone Personalized Normative Feedback for College ... Computer-delivered PNF is an effective stand-alone approach for reducing college student drinking and has a small impact on alcohol-related harms.

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796721000462

Computer-delivered personalized feedback intervention for ... PFIs present individuals with personalized drinking profiles (e.g., patterns, risk factors, consequences) and normative comparisons of consumption (e.g., ...

9. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10826084.2025.2497947

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Counterfactual and ... This study examines the effects of brief counterfactual and personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions to increase PBS use.