# Development of a Novel Personalized Risk Assessment for College Alcohol Prevention

> **NIH NIH R34** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $203,434

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The primary goal of this R34 proposal is to conduct pilot testing of a new intervention for college student
substance use. Risky substance use among college students is widespread, and associated with numerous
adverse consequences. Although brief motivational interventions (BMIs) have been widely adopted by colleges
to address risky alcohol use, most studies find only small to moderate effects, with a review of college student
drinking interventions noting that “significant enhancement of personalized feedback intervention efficacy has
not been observed in over 15 years of study” (Miller et al. 2015). Current interventions focus on students’
current substance use, and largely do not address underlying risk factors and the pathways that lead students
to use. There is compelling evidence that students use/misuse alcohol for different reasons, and that
externalizing, internalizing, and physiological factors strongly predict college students’ substance use and
problems. The fast-growing field of personalized medicine is harnessing our growing knowledge about
underlying etiological factors to provide individuals with specific information about their unique risk profiles and
personalized recommendations, in order to motivate and enable individuals to better self-regulate their health.
With this R34 we will evaluate an on-line Personalized Risk Assessment (PRA) for college students that
provides feedback about the individual’s specific core underlying risk factors for substance use, and how these
factors can lead to substance problems, along with personalized recommendations and resources. The project
will capitalize on foundational work from our unique, on-going university-wide research project (Spit for Science;
S4S), in which >12,000 students (~70% of five years of incoming freshmen thus far) are being followed
longitudinally with surveys assessing substance use and related factors across the college years. From these
data we have identified risk factors most strongly related to college students’ substance use, and have
developed an associated research center that brings together S4S researchers with university administrators
and student affairs personnel to translate this research into enhanced university programming and policy.
Making use of this extant collaborative network, we will (Aim 1) finalize the editing and programming of our on-
line personalized risk assessment platform; (Aim 2) systematically refine the risk questions and feedback tools
by conducting four focus groups (N= 40) and an open trial (N=40) with college students with varying risk
profiles, and one focus group with college wellness staff and service providers; and (Aim 3) preliminarily
evaluate the efficacy of the PRA in comparison to an assessment only control group, a standard BMI, and a
PRA+BMI condition to test whether there are additive or interactive effects, using a randomized controlled
design of N = 300 freshman with measures of substance use and academ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10231041
- **Project number:** 5R34AA027347-03
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Chelsea Derlan Williams
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $203,434
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-10 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10231041

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10231041, Development of a Novel Personalized Risk Assessment for College Alcohol Prevention (5R34AA027347-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10231041. Licensed CC0.

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