# Development and preliminary examination of two brief personalized feedback interventions focused on lab-based and EMA alcohol cues to reduce hazardous young adult alcohol use

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $84,339

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Alcohol misuse and negative consequences remain prevalent among young adults (YAs) (Hingson et al.,
2017; Schulenberg et al., 2018). Meta-analytic findings on the efficacy of brief alcohol interventions suggest
that these effects may not be as strong as previously believed (Huh et al., 2015), highlighting the continuing
need to develop effective interventions to reduce YA alcohol misuse. This application will develop and test two
online personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) that focus on recognizing urges to drink in response to
alcohol cues (e.g., beer bottle) as well as strategies for coping with urges. Alcohol cues evoke subjective
craving and physiological and neural responses among drinkers (Reynolds & Monti, 2014; Schacht et al.,
2013). Cue reactivity has been demonstrated in the natural environment among older adolescent and YA
drinkers. On occasions when alcohol cues are present, YAs report stronger urges to drink, and on days with
stronger urges to drink they report more alcohol consumption (Ramirez & Miranda, 2014). PFIs have not
explicitly targeted cue reactivity, and many YAs may have limited awareness of this phenomenon. A cue-based
PFI may reduce YA alcohol misuse by enhancing YAs’ awareness of their own personal cues that elicit
alcohol-seeking behavior and by equipping YAs with skills for coping with urges. This current application will
develop two online Cue Reactivity PFIs: (a) a lab-based Cue Reactivity PFI that summarizes cue reactivity
from an in vivo cue reactivity session with exposure to preferred alcoholic beverages, and (b) a Cue Reactivity
PFI that capitalizes on the utility of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to capture alcohol cues as
experienced in the natural environment. The EMA period includes 17 days of surveys (4x/day) to report cue
exposure, craving, and alcohol outcomes. Both PFIs will focus on recognizing alcohol cues, understanding
responses to cues, and acquiring coping skills. In Study 1 (Aim 1), a series of focus groups will be conducted
with YA heavy drinkers (ages 18-24) to refine the procedures and interventions for a pilot study. Study 2 is a
pilot study with a community sample of 200 YA heavy drinkers (ages 18-24) who report thinking about stopping
or reducing their drinking. Participants are randomized to one of four conditions (n = 50 per group): (1) Lab-
based Cue Reactivity PFI, (2) Lab-based assessment only control (AOC), (3) EMA-based Cue Reactivity PFI,
or (4) EMA-based AOC. We will examine the feasibility and acceptability of the PFIs (Aim 2A), evaluate PFI
effects on craving, drinking, and consequences at 2-week and 3-month follow-ups, relative to AOC conditions
(Aims 2B-C), evaluate Lab-based versus EMA-based PFI effects on drinking outcomes (Aim 2D), and examine
condition as a moderator of the association between craving and drinking at follow-up as well as explore
moderators (e.g., biological sex) of intervention effects (Aim 2E). This research has grea...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10229507
- **Project number:** 5R34AA027302-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Anne Marie Fairlie
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $84,339
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-20 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10229507

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10229507, Development and preliminary examination of two brief personalized feedback interventions focused on lab-based and EMA alcohol cues to reduce hazardous young adult alcohol use (5R34AA027302-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10229507. Licensed CC0.

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