Do Brief Motivational Interventions Reduce Drinking and Driving among College Students? A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data

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2020

Authors

Mun, Eun-Young
Lineberry, Shelby
Zhou, Zhengyang
Walters, Scott
Li, Xiaoyin
Tan, Zhengqi

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Abstract

Purpose, Alcohol-impaired driving (AID) is a serious public health concern in the United States. Although often targeted in brief motivational interventions (BMIs), AID has rarely been examined as a primary outcome in trials. This study examined the effectiveness of BMIs on AID for college students using a two-step meta-analysis of individual participant data. Methods, The data came from Project INTEGRATE, a large-scale synthesis study of individual participant data from BMIs and other individual-focused interventions designed to reduce heavy drinking and related problems among college students. A total of 15 trials assessed AID at baseline and the most immediate follow-up within 12 months post intervention (N=9,992; 58.3% female; 71.8% White; 54.6% 1st-year). Two outcomes were driving shortly after consuming 2+ drinks (25 comparisons), and consuming 4+ drinks (21 comparisons), which were coded to 1 (yes) or 0 (no). We separately analyzed these outcomes in random-effects meta-analysis models using "metafor" for R. Results, Overall, there were no statistically significant intervention effects on AID. The pooled log odds ratios of the combined trials were -0.03 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.09) for driving shortly after consuming 2+ drinks, and -0.10 (95% CI: -0.26, 0.07) for driving shortly after consuming 4+ drinks. Conclusions, Although BMIs are efficacious for reducing drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences, the findings from this meta-analysis indicate that they have little to no effects on AID among college students. Given the public health implications of AID, more focused intervention efforts are needed.

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