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Alcohol Impaired Driving: From the Laboratory to the Natural Environment

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Drinking and Driving
Interventions
Behavioral: BAC feedback/warning
Behavioral: No BAC feedback/warning
Registration Number
NCT03846050
Lead Sponsor
University of Missouri-Columbia
Brief Summary

This project combined laboratory and ambulatory assessment (AA) methods to test decision making associated with alcohol impaired driving (AID). Participants will complete a laboratory alcohol administration session followed by 6 weeks of mobile assessment. Data from drinking events will be examined to test how individuals make choices about driving or not after consuming alcohol.

Detailed Description

Building on laboratory findings from the the PI's (McCarthy) previous work, this project is designed to test AID decision making in both the lab and the natural drinking environment in which AID decisions are made.

Participants complete a laboratory alcohol administration session followed by six weeks of multi-method ambulatory assessment. The ambulatory assessment component will include participant report via smartphone, portable breathalizer (BACtrack), and location and movement data passively collected by the smartphone GPS/accelerometer. The combination of these methods will allow for the integration of subjective (e.g., perceived intoxication) and objective (e.g., BrAC, calculated drinking location) data for each drinking episode.

Aim 1 of the project is to test laboratory measures as prospective predictors of AID and examine the role of event-level influences on specific AID decisions.

Aim 2 of the proposed project is to test the potential for a novel intervention to reduce AID using mobile technology. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a full ambulatory assessment or a minimal assessment control condition. The timing of the introduction of AA will also be manipulated within the full ambulatory assessment condition. This design will allow us to test whether the introduction of ambulatory assessment produces changes in AID behavior, as well as whether such changes persist once ambulatory assessment is discontinued. Changes made to the revised application are aimed at ensuring the achievement of both study aims. If Aim 2 is achieved and ambulatory assessment alters AID behavior, the combination of the minimal assessment control condition and the full assessment condition prior to the introduction of ambulatory assessment has sufficient sample size and power to test Aim 1 hypotheses.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
230
Inclusion Criteria
  • moderate to heavy drinkers must drive regularly report recent binge drinking fluent in english
Exclusion Criteria
  • not in treatment for substance use disorder or other psychiatric disorders BMI under 30 no medical conditions contraindicating alcohol consumption

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
BAC Feedback, immediate onsetBAC feedback/warningParticipants will receive a"BAC Feedback/Warning" intervention based on their assessed BAC. Participants in this arm will have a warning presented on their smartphone when they provide a breath sample that indicated their BAC has reached a set limit. The cutpoint for this warning is not disclosed but is well below the legal limit for driving. Warning will notify them that their results indicate it is not safe for them to drive. In this condition, participants will start their 6 week AA portion of their participation immediately after their laboratory session, and will be followed for 6 weeks afterwards. Comparisons between the two experimental conditions will allow for inferences about the onset and offset of any effects of the "BAC Feedback/Warning" intervention.
BAC Feedback, delayed onsetBAC feedback/warningParticipants will receive the "BAC Feedback/Warning" intervention based on their assessed BAC during drinking events.The cutpoint for this warning is not disclosed but is well below the legal limit for driving. Warning will notify them that their results indicate it is not safe for them to drive. In this condition, participants will be followed for 6 weeks after their laboratory session prior to starting their 6 week AA portion of their participation. Comparisons between the two experimental conditions will allow for inferences about the onset and offset of any effects of the "BAC Feedback/Warning" intervention.
Minimal Assessment ControlNo BAC feedback/warningParticipants will receive the "No BAC Feedback/Warning" intervention. Participants in this condition will complete the laboratory and interview portions of the project. However the AA portion of the project will not contain warning about their BAC (No BAC Feedback/Warning) and will ask fewer questions regarding their AID decisions. The role of this condition is to provide a baseline comparison of AID behavior for the two active assessment conditions.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Alcohol impaired driving behavior (retrospective)12 weeks

Participants will provide self-reported driving behavior (yes/no driven a vehicle) after drinking alcohol retrospectively during interview sessions. Participants will complete regular phone interview where their daily driving and drinking behavior will be assessed. The outcome measure of interest will be days when participants report driving (yes/no) after consuming alcohol.

Alcohol impaired driving behavior12 weeks

Participants will provide self-reported driving behavior (yes/no driven a vehicle) after drinking alcohol during the AA portion. This assessment will be taken from their daily smartphone responses.

Alcohol impaired driving intentions6 weeks

Participants will provide self-reported intentions to drive after drinking alcohol (Would you drive now? Yes/no) from daily assessments during the AA portion of the project.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Perceived risk of driving6 weeks

Participants will report their perceived risk of driving (1 to 4 scale, "Not Dangerous to Very Dangerous") given their current level of impairment during AA portion of project.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Missouri-Columbia

🇺🇸

Columbia, Missouri, United States

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