Web-based program may help address underage drinking

A new study supports the use of a brief, web-based program alone and in combination with a parent campaign for preventing alcohol consumption among adolescents transitioning from middle school to high school.

The Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling study found that brief, web-based personalized feedback alone or in combination with a brief parent brochure is more effective than traditional educational lectures in delaying drinking initiation among female ninth-grade students. Prevalence rates for alcohol use were 18.8%, 29.4%, and 66.3% in the web-based, combined, and traditional education groups, respectively.

For male ninth-grade students, prevalence rates for alcohol use were 21.6%, 21.1%, and 33.3% in the respective groups. Although investigators did not find favorable effects for the web-based or combined program compared with traditional education for male students, examination of drinking rates suggests that all three types of programs may be effective for male teens.