Predictors of Booster Engagement Following a Web-Based Brief Intervention for Alcohol Misuse Among National Guard Members: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Lara N Coughlin; Frederic C Blow; Maureen Walton; Rosalinda V Ignacio; Heather Walters; Lynn Massey; Kristen L Barry; Richard McCormick

doi:10.2196/29397

Predictors of Booster Engagement Following a Web-Based Brief Intervention for Alcohol Misuse Among National Guard Members: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Oct 26;8(10):e29397. doi: 10.2196/29397.

Authors

Lara N Coughlin^{1

2}, Frederic C Blow^{1

3}, Maureen Walton^#^{1

2}, Rosalinda V Ignacio^#⁴, Heather Walters³, Lynn Massey², Kristen L Barry¹, Richard McCormick⁵

Affiliations

¹ Addiction Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
² Injury Prevention Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
³ VA Center for Clinical Management Research, Department of Veteran Affairs Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
⁵ Center for Healthcare Research and Policy, MetroHealth/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 34698652
PMCID: PMC8579213
DOI: 10.2196/29397

Abstract

Background: Alcohol misuse is a major health concern among military members. Reserve component members face unique barriers as they live off base with limited access to behavioral health services. Web and app-based brief interventions are a promising means to improve access to treatment for those who misuse alcohol, with the use of booster sessions to enhance effectiveness, solidify gains, and reinforce changes. However, little is known about who will engage in booster sessions.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate booster engagement across booster delivery modalities (Web and Peer) and identify participant-specific factors associated with booster session engagement.

Methods: Following a brief web-based alcohol misuse intervention in National Guard members (N=739), we examined engagement in a series of three booster sessions. Using unadjusted and adjusted models, demographic and clinical characteristics that may serve as predictors of booster session engagement were examined across the 2 arms of the trial with different types of booster sessions: peer-delivered (N=245) and web-delivered (N=246).

Results: Booster session completion was greater for Peer than Web Booster sessions, with 142 (58%) service members in the Peer Booster arm completing all three boosters compared with only 108 (44%) of participants in the Web Booster arm (χ²₃=10.3; P=.006). In a model in which the 2 groups were combined, socioeconomic factors predicted booster engagement. In separate models, the demographic and clinical predictors of booster engagement varied between the 2 delivery modalities.

Conclusions: The use of peer-delivered boosters, especially among subsets of reserve members at risk of lack of engagement, may foster greater uptake and improve treatment outcomes.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02181283; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02181283.

Keywords: National Guard; alcohol use; boosters; brief intervention; engagement.

©Lara N Coughlin, Frederic C Blow, Maureen Walton, Rosalinda V Ignacio, Heather Walters, Lynn Massey, Kristen L Barry, Richard McCormick. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (https://mental.jmir.org), 26.10.2021.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02181283

Abstract

Associated data

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