A Smartphone App Helps University Students Reduce Excessive Alcohol Use

Public health guidelines recommend screening adults for unhealthy alcohol use and offering brief interventions for those who screen positive. Internet-based interventions are easily accessible and effective, particularly among students, a population at increased risk. Would smartphone applications (apps) also be effective in this setting?

Researchers invited 34,000 students at four Swiss universities to complete an online alcohol-use assessment; 1700 who screened positive for unhealthy use were randomized to receive either encouragement to download and use a smartphone app to help reduce alcohol intake or no intervention. The app included tools to provide personalized feedback on self-reported alcohol use, compute blood alcohol levels, self-…