Effectiveness of a Peer-led Personalized Support Program Using Instant Messaging Applications and a Self-determination Theory-based Intervention to Help Young Drug Abusers Quit Drugs: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Enrollment
- 200
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Drug Consumption
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Aim: To test the effectiveness of a peer-led personalized support program using instant messaging applications and a self- determination theory-based intervention to help young drug abusers quit drugs.
Hypothesis to be tested: The investigators hypothesize that compared with those in the control group, the participants in the intervention group will experience greater success in reducing and quitting drugs and will have a better health-related quality of life at 12 months follow-up.
Detailed Description
Setting:
A pre- and post-test interventional study will be conducted in the peer supporters. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out attaching to this service to evaluate the effects of engagement in the desirable health-related lifestyle on the drug quitting of adolescent drug abusers in Hong Kong.
There will be a target drug abusers service group and peer supporters group. It is expected that the project will receive 1,000 telephone inquiries and provide phone drug abstinence intervention to about 200 drug-abusing youths or young adults and randomized into two groups (100 eligible participants in intervention and eligible 100 participants in control group) and recruit about 80 university students as peer supporters.
To raise anti-drug awareness among young people and identify high-risk/hidden drug-abusing young people aged 35 or below in Hong Kong, there are at least 30,000 pamphlets, booklets and other publicity materials will be delivered to students and teachers at secondary schools and tertiary institutions, to young members of youth organisations and to young employees in high-pressure industries. Approximately 200 secondary and tertiary schools, 50 youth organisations and 50 companies in high-pressure industries will be targeted to introduce the peer-led personalised support programme to teachers, school social workers, students, and young employees and organisation members.
To train university students with medical backgrounds to become peer-led personalised supporters who will implement a brief intervention and provide continual personalised support to help young drug abusers quit drugs.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
Eligibility Criteria
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •The inclusion criteria of target service group (drug abusers) for this programme:
- •be aged 35 or below
- •be able to communicate in Cantonese
- •have an history of drug abuse within the past 12 months (including all types of drugs such as narcotics analgesics, hallucinogens, depressants, stimulants, tranquillizers and other recreational drugs)
Exclusion Criteria
- •of target service group (drug abusers) for this programme:
- •psychologically or physically unable to communicate
- •The inclusion criteria of peer supporters:
- •be aged 18 - 35
- •be able to communicate in Cantonese
- •have a medical background
- •complete the training courses and pass the evaluation of peer supporter qualification
- •The exclusion Criteria of peer supporters:
- •psychologically or physically unable to communicate
Arms & Interventions
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: Health-risk behaviors (Other)
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: Theory of planned behavior, Self-determination theory (Other)
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: Assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period (Other)
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: Assist them to adhere to their schedule of desirable health-related lifestyles/quitting drugs throughout the study period (Other)
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: (AWARD) model (Other)
Intervention group
Each participant will receive the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. For the advice steps, participants will be asked about the priority they place on engagement in health-related lifestyles. A brief intervention on the selected health-related lifestyle will be given. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp to assist them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period. For the first 6 months of the study period, peer supporters will send WhatsApp or WeChat messages approximately once per week to the participants to remind them to adhere to their schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle. In addition, the participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs.
Intervention: Receive four independent 1-minute videos (Other)
Control Group
Trained peer supporters will answer calls from potential participants and explain the nature and purpose of the project to them. Each participant will then receive a brief intervention over the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. Participants will be asked to quit drugs immediately or progressively. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp from peer supporters to assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period. For the first six months, participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs without any schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period.
Intervention: Theory of planned behavior, Self-determination theory (Other)
Control Group
Trained peer supporters will answer calls from potential participants and explain the nature and purpose of the project to them. Each participant will then receive a brief intervention over the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. Participants will be asked to quit drugs immediately or progressively. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp from peer supporters to assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period. For the first six months, participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs without any schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period.
Intervention: Assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period (Other)
Control Group
Trained peer supporters will answer calls from potential participants and explain the nature and purpose of the project to them. Each participant will then receive a brief intervention over the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. Participants will be asked to quit drugs immediately or progressively. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp from peer supporters to assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period. For the first six months, participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs without any schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period.
Intervention: (AWARD) model (Other)
Control Group
Trained peer supporters will answer calls from potential participants and explain the nature and purpose of the project to them. Each participant will then receive a brief intervention over the telephone that will be delivered by a trained peer supporter using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-Again (AWARD) model. Participants will be asked to quit drugs immediately or progressively. In addition, they will be informed that they will receive instant messaging via WeChat or WhatsApp from peer supporters to assist them to adhere to their schedule of quitting drugs throughout the study period. For the first six months, participants will receive four independent 1-minute videos which focus on the health risks associated with abusing drugs and the benefits of quitting drugs without any schedule of the desirable health-related lifestyle throughout the study period.
Intervention: Receive four independent 1-minute videos (Other)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Drug Consumption
Time Frame: 12 month
Participants' change in drug consumption between baseline and 12-month follow-up will be measured by a structured-questionnaire. The questionnaire gathers the frequency and categories of drug consumption in the past 30 days. The more frequencies and the more kinds of drug used indicating the higher consumption of drug abuse.
Secondary Outcomes
- The changes of the contemplation stages at 6-month and 12-month(6 month and 12 month)
- The self-reported drug abuse abstinence rate(6 month and 12 month)
- The quality of life(6 month and 12 month)
- Peer supporters' improvement in professional knowledge towards counselling and treatment(immediately after the training and 6 month)
- The change in drug consumption(6 month)
- Change of other health-related lifestyles(6 month and 12 month)
Investigators
Li Ho Cheung William
Professor
Chinese University of Hong Kong