Smartphone application for unhealthy alcohol use: Pilot randomized controlled trial in the general population.

Background: There is limited evidence of the efficacy of smartphone applications to reduce unhealthy alcohol use. We tested the efficacy of providing access to a smartphone-based brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use.

Methods: We conducted a two parallel-group randomized controlled trial with follow-up at 6 months, among 977 individuals with an Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test ≥8 and drinking 15 or more drinks/week.

Community Structure of a Mental Health Internet Support Group: Modularity in User Thread Participation.

Background: Little is known about the community structure of mental health Internet support groups, quantitatively. A greater understanding of the factors, which lead to user interaction, is needed to explain the design information of these services and future research concerning their utility.

Objective: A study was conducted to determine the characteristics of users associated with the subgroup community structure of an Internet support group for mental health issues.

From Help-Seekers to Influential Users: A Systematic Review of Participation Styles in Online Health Communities.

Background: Understanding how people participate in and contribute to online health communities (OHCs) is useful knowledge in multiple domains. It is helpful for community managers in developing strategies for building community, for organizations in disseminating information about health interventions, and for researchers in understanding the social dynamics of peer support.

Objective: We sought to determine if any patterns were apparent in the nature of user participation across online health communities.

Event-specific drinking in the general population.

Objective: It has been well established that college students engage in heavy drinking during specific social events; however, within the general population, evidence of event-specific drinking has been largely indirect. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the temporal variability in daily alcohol consumption in the winter holiday months among residents of a large metropolitan area.

Method: A random-digit-dialing telephone survey was conducted of residents who drank alcohol at least once per month.

Comparison of two internet-based interventions for problem drinkers: randomized controlled trial.

Background: Alcohol problems are a serious public health concern, and few problem drinkers ever seek treatment. The Internet is one means of promoting access to care, but more research is needed to test the best types of interventions to employ. Evaluation of Internet-based interventions that contain a variety of research-validated cognitive-behavioral tools, which have been shown to be helpful to those with more severe alcohol concerns, should be a priority.