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SOCIAL NORMS AND ALCOHOL PREVENTION (SNAP)

Project duration: June, 2004 - May, 2009
Sponsor: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

SNAP is a 5-year project funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA; R01AA014576). The project began in June, 2004 and will be funded through May of 2009.

Social norms have been repeatedly found as one of the strongest predictors of heavy drinking among college students. Preliminary research has shown that correcting normative misperceptions by providing personalized normative feedback is effective in reducing drinking in this population.

This project extends preliminary work to a web-based format and examines gender specificity and single versus repeated exposure as moderators of the effects of personalized normative feedback. The first stage of this research will implement a 3-year longitudinal efficacy trial with 800 heavy drinking students. Students will be randomly assigned to a single exposure of personalized normative feedback, repeated biannual exposure to feedback, or a control group. Students in the feedback groups will also be randomly assigned to receive gender specific or gender non-specific feedback.

The second stage of this research will evaluate the impact of normative information on 400 never/rarely drinking students. Students will be randomly assigned to receive social norms marketing messages, personalized normative feedback, or assessment only. Follow-up assessments will determine the impact of normative information at 3-months and 6-months post baseline. All assessments and interventions will be internet based.