Digital interventions for reducing alcohol use in general populations: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Ivneet Sohi; Kevin D Shield; Jürgen Rehm; Maristela Monteiro

doi:10.1111/acer.15175

Digital interventions for reducing alcohol use in general populations: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken). 2023 Oct;47(10):1813-1832. doi: 10.1111/acer.15175. Epub 2023 Oct 2.

Authors

Ivneet Sohi¹, Kevin D Shield^{1

2

3}, Jürgen Rehm^{1

2

3

4

5

6

7}, Maristela Monteiro⁸

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
⁷ Department of International Health Projects, Institute for Leadership and Health Management, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
⁸ Pan American Health Organization, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

PMID: 37864535
DOI: 10.1111/acer.15175

Abstract

This article updates a 2017 review on the effectiveness of digital interventions for reducing alcohol use in the general population. An updated systematic search of the MEDLINE database was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2017 to June 2022 that evaluated the effectiveness of digital interventions compared with no interventions, minimal interventions, and face-to-face interventions aimed at reducing alcohol use in the general population and, that also reported changes in alcohol use (quantity, frequency, quantity per drinking day, heavy episodic drinking (HED), or alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) scores). A secondary analysis was performed that analyzed data from RCTs conducted in students. The review was not preregistered. The search produced 2224 articles. A total of 80 studies were included in the review, 35 of which were published after the last systematic review. A total of 66, 20, 18, 26, and 9 studies assessed the impact of digital interventions on alcohol quantity, frequency, quantity per drinking day, HED, and AUDIT scores, respectively. Individuals randomized to the digital interventions drank 4.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.88, 5.36) fewer grams of alcohol per day, had 0.17 (95% CI 0.06, 0.29) fewer drinking days per week, drank approximately 3.89 (95% CI: 0.40, 7.38) fewer grams of alcohol per drinking day, had 1.11 (95% CI: 0.32, 1.91) fewer HED occasions per month, and had an AUDIT score 3.04 points lower (95% CI: 2.23, 3.85) than individuals randomized to the control condition. Significant reductions in alcohol quantity, frequency, and HED, but not quantity per drinking day, were observed among students. Digital interventions show potential for reducing alcohol use in general populations and could be used widely at the population level to reduce alcohol-attributable harms.

Keywords: alcohol; brief interventions; digital interventions; randomized controlled trials; systematic review.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

181005/CAPMC/ CIHR/Canada