TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - A quasi-randomized group trial of a brief alcohol intervention on risky single occasion drinking among secondary school students
JO  - International journal of public health
A1  - Gmel, Gerhard
A1  - Venzin, Vigeli
A1  - Marmet, Katrin
A1  - Danko, George
A1  - Labhart, Florian
SP  - 935
EP  - 944
VL  - 57
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVES: To show the effectiveness of a brief group alcohol intervention. Aims of the intervention were to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking occasions, maximum number of drinks on an occasion and overall weekly consumption. METHODS: A cluster quasi-randomized control trial (intervention n = 338; control n = 330) among 16- to 18-year-old secondary school students in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. Groups homogeneous for heavy drinking occasions (5+/4+ drinks for men/women) consisted of those having medium risk (3-4) or high risk (5+) occasions in the past 30 days. Groups of 8-10 individuals received two 45-min sessions based on motivational interviewing techniques. RESULTS: Borderline significant beneficial effects (p < 0.10) on heavy drinking occasions and alcohol volume were found 6 months later for the medium-risk group only, but not for the high-risk group. None of the effects remained significant after Bonferroni corrections. CONCLUSIONS: Group intervention was ineffective for all at-risk users. The heaviest drinkers may need more intensive treatment. Alternative explanations were iatrogenic effects among the heaviest drinkers, assessment reactivity, or reduction of social desirability bias at follow-up through peer feedback.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-8556
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0419-0
ID  - ref1
ER  -