Web-Based Alcohol Abuse Prevention for College Students

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): College is a time when a large proportion of young people engage in heavy and binge drinking, putting themselves at risk for a variety of health and safety problems. The proposed effort will develop and test a web-based multi-media alcohol abuse prevention program aimed at college students, with specific paths for freshmen. The program will have an overall stress management/well-being focus and will also include sections addressing sexual health and safety. A major section of the program will be devoted to alcohol abuse prevention, and alcohol abuse prevention material will be interwoven throughout the other sections. In Phase I, the preliminary structure and content of the program will be developed, and a prototype will be pilot-tested in two focus groups drawn from students at two different colleges. Administrators and counselors from a sample of colleges will be interviewed to assess the demand for and feasibility of the program. In Phase II, the program will be rigorously field-tested and prepared for marketing.