A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Game-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Use Among Youth

Summary

This is a randomized controlled trial to learn if the Singularities, a game-based intervention, works to reduce alcohol-related harms among youth. It will also learn if Singularities reduces alcohol use behaviors and improves alcohol protective behavioral strategies, adaptive coping skills, and healthy social media use. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does Singularities reduce the frequency of experiencing alcohol-related harms and alcohol use behaviors? * Does Singularities improve alcohol protective behavioral strategies, adaptive coping skills, and healthy social media use? Researchers will compare Singularities to an attention control program, Food4Thought, a game-based intervention about nutrition, physical activity, and teen well-being, to see if Singularities works to reduce alcohol-related harms. Participants will: * Partake in either Singularities or Food4Thought, both of which will be completed over the course of one month * Take 4 online surveys over the course of one year * Complete an optional online interview after the surveys

Eligibility

Age range

14–18 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Food4Thought

  Food4Thought is an attention control condition in which participants receive similar amounts of research team contact and program contact as the intervention. Participants will play the game Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition, developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Participants are instructed to build healthy meals using cuisine from around the world while ensuring they stick to a budget and meet all their nutritional needs. Food4Thought will be delivered via Qualtrics.

• Behavioral
  Singularities

  Singularities is a theory-based, community-informed, web-accessible intervention that includes a game, discussion board, and resources that incorporate 3 components for encouraging use of adaptive coping skills, alcohol protective behavioral strategies, and healthy internet and social media use.

Location