By Cecilia Bianco, July 28 2014
A recent study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine has identified text messaging as an effective strategy for reducing levels of harmful drinking among teens.
The 12-week study, A Text Message Alcohol Intervention for Young Adult Emergency Department Patients, observed more than 700 young adults with a hazardous drinking history and a recent emergency room visit. The study participants were organized into three groups:
- Texted questions
- Texted questions with feedback
- Control group (no texted questions)
The researchers found that teens who received texted questions about their drinking—along with feedback on their replies via text—reduced their self-reported drinks per day by 31 percent. These individuals also decreased self-reported binge drinking days by 51 percent.
Groups that received no texts or no texted questions with feedback each experienced more binge drinking days.
The feedback received by the group whose drinking was reduced included these main outcomes:
- A strengthened low-risk drinking plan
- Reflection on an existing low-risk plan or a prior decision not to have one
Brian Suffoletto, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a news release about the study results:
“Each day in the U.S., more than 50,000 adults ages 18 to 24 visit ERs and up to half have hazardous alcohol use patterns. More than a third of them report alcohol abuse or dependence. The emergency department provides a unique setting to screen young adults for drinking problems and to engage with them via their preferred mode of communication to reduce future use.”
For our past reporting on teen substance abuse, visit the following:
- New Study Provides Insight Into Early Indicators of Alcohol Misuse Among Teens
- Study Reveals Substance Abuse Among Teens with Mental Health Issues
- Families Gather to Improve Teen Substance Abuse Treatment
Image from Flickr Creative Commons User Jonas Seaman
Updated: February 08 2018