Web-Based Alcohol Misuse Prevention Intervention for the Elderly

DESCRIPTIONprovided by applicantRecent data indicate that a substantial proportion of adultsyears of age and older are engaging in unsafeat risk drinkingeither based on the amount of alcohol they drink or alcohol use combined with other comorbidities or medicationsSeveral brief interventions to address the problem of excessive drinking in the elderlydesigned mainly for in person deliverymost in primary care physiciansofficeshave yielded promising resultsbut these interventions are resource intensive and of limited scalabilityAndwhile additional research has shown that web based interventions addressing alcohol misuse can be efficaciousthese promising interventions have not been specifically developed foror applied tothe elderlydespite the growing need for interventions for this population who currently comprise overmillion peopleWhile one may conclude that that older adults are not likely to access an Internet based site focused on alcoholdata from an open Internetbased alcohol screening and brief intervention found that while younger adults were more likely to access the siteelderly drinkers were significantly more likely to report weekly drinking in excess of recommended limitsIndeednew research from the PEW Research Center has found that older adults are increasingly using the Internet to find health informationBuilding on ISA s extensive experience in the development and test of substance abuse prevention and health promotion interventionsincluding previously developed and tested web based interventionsthe proposed project will develop and test an innovative web based programscience basedmedia richtailoredand easily navigateddesigned to reduce at risk drinking by older adults and the subsequent negative and costly health consequencesTo overcome the stigma often associated with alcohol misuse among the elderlythe alcohol misuse prevention will be imbedded within a larger health promotion program designed to improve overall health behaviors related to stress managementhealthy eatingand physical activityPhase I will involve focus groups and the development and feasibility testing of the prototypealong with specific milestones that must met before moving to Phase IIPhase II will involve the full development of the web based program for older adults followed by a field test of the programincluding a randomized controlled trial with older adultsMather LifeWaysa leader in the development and implementation of innovative programs and services to overolder adults annually through its residences and community outreachhas enthusiastically agreed to serve as the site for both phases of the project and to work with ISA s Center for Workforce Health to market the completed program