Table 6. Description of trials of health behaviour change interventions: Alcohol consumption.

Study	Study Design, Device, and Media	Participants	Aims	Interventions	Comparators
Agyapong 2013 [84]	Parallel group RCT; Country: Ireland; Device: Mobile telephone; Media: SMS	54 patients were randomised. Patients were eligible if they fulfilled the following criteria: a) Age over 18 years and able to provide informed consent. b) Mini Mental State Examination score ≥ 25. c) Patient fulfilled the criteria for both Major Depressive Disorder and Alcohol Dependency Syndrome/Alcohol Abuse and was enrolled on the in-patient dual diagnosis treatment programme in St Patrick's University Hospital d) Did not fulfil the criteria for bipolar affective disorder, psychotic disorder or current poly-substances dependence or abuse e) Patient had a mobile phone, was familiar with text messaging technology, was able to read and be available for follow-up during the study period. Mean age: Intervention = 48y (SD 10.4); control = 49.1y (SD 10.5)	To explore the effects of supportive text messages on mood and abstinence outcomes for patients with depression and co-morbid AUD at 6 months	Starting from the day of discharge from in-patient care, patients in the intervention group received twice daily supportive text messages for three months. The messages were sent by a computer programme at 10.00 and 19.00 h each day and were set up and monitored by the research worker who undertook the randomisation. The intervention lasted 3 months. Participants were followed up at 6 months User involvement in development: not stated–messaged written by research team and two addiction counsellors.	Participants in the control arm did not receive text messages
Andersson 2015 [85]	Parallel 5 arm RCT. Country: Sweden. Device: mobile phone. Media: IVR.	1,678 university students in Sweden who reported hazardous drinking in their baseline assessment. Average age 23.2 y (SD 2.9), Female: 41% (not reported by intervention group—paper reports ‘no baseline difference in age or gender’.)	To evaluate a brief automated alcohol intervention designed to reduce heavy episodic drinking, comparing single and repeated IVR delivery, single and repeating WEB (email) delivery, and control group (screening only).	The same intervention content was delivered either by WEB or IVR. The IVR prompts heard by participants were read by a known Swedish television and radio personality whose voice was easy to recognize, the WEB intervention read by participants was written in plain text delivered as a link attached to an email. The interventions were delivered as a single or repeated intervention. Each intervention was brief and involved less than 500 words; personalized information was included in the text shown. The content of the intervention included personalised information on past-month BAC and information on negative consequences if BAC above 0.06%, information on drinks, personalised consumption recommendations, personal goals. Duration: 6 wks. User involvement in development: None.	The control group received no treatment.
Gajecki 2014 [86]	Parallel 3 arm RCT. Country: Sweden Device: smartphone Media: Mobile applications.	1929 university students in Sweden with established levels of risky drinking. Promillekoll app intervention: Mean age: 24.6 (SD 4.99) Female: 48.1%. PartyPlanner intervention: Mean age: 24.8 (SD 4.6). Female: 51.7% Control group: Mean age: 24.7 (SD 4.8). Female: 53.5%.	Investigate the effects of 2 smartphone apps with real time eBAC calculations among university students with established levels of risk drinking. Secondly to explore whether there are any gender differences for these 2 applications in terms alcohol outcomes.	Participants were emailed a link to the smartphone app and instructed to use the app for the following 8 weeks. One group received the Promillekoll app which predicts real-time estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) calculation and offers a number of strategies to maintain alcohol consumption at a level that is not harmful. The second group were given access to the PartyPlanner app, which allowed people to simulate a drinking event beforehand and comparing the simulation to real-time events. Duration: 7 wks. User involvement in development: not stated. One app was commercially available, one app was developed by research team.	The control group did not receive access to any intervention or feedback on risky drinking.
Gustafson 2014 [87]	Unmasked parallel group RCT involving 3 residential programmes. Country: USA Device: Mobile telephone; Media: Smartphone application	179 participants were randomised. Patients who met the criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence upon entering treatment at 3 residential programs. Patients had to be at least 18 years old, willing to be randomized, and able to identify 2 backup contacts people who could provide information about how to reach the patient for one year. Mean age: 38y (SD 10)	To determine whether patients leaving residential treatment for alcohol use disorders with a Smartphone application to support recovery have fewer risky drinking days than control patients.	The A-CHESS group received treatment as usual plus a Smartphone with A-CHESS for the 8-month intervention period and treatment as usual only during the 4-month follow-up. A-CHESS had both static content (e.g., audio-guided relaxation) and interactive features. Duration: 12 months. User involvement in development: Focus groups with 48 participants for needs identification and reactions to components of ACHESS.	The control group received treatment as usual for 12 months
Haug 2015 [88]	Parallel group RCT. Country: Switzerland. Device: mobile phone. Media: SMS	50 clients treated for alcohol use disorders from three Swiss outpatient alcohol treatment centres. Average age: Control 50.4 (SD 12.7); Intervention 43.8 (SD 10.7). Female: control 28%, intervention 20%.	To test the feasibility, acceptability and initial effectiveness of a text message-based aftercare treatment programme among alcohol outpatients.	The intervention was primarily based on behavioural self-control techniques (e.g. ‘goal setting’ and ‘self-monitoring’) as well as social support. The intervention included (a) monitoring of self-selected drinking goals at regular intervals, (b) motivational text messages to stick to the self-selected drinking goal and (c) proactive telephone calls from the counsellor for participants that were either not sticking to their drinking goal or in need of support. For a period of 6 months, a computer expert system automatically generated individually tailored text messages for the weekly (Weeks 1–8) or bi-weekly (Weeks 10–26) monitoring of self-selected drinking goals. Based on participant’s response to the monitoring messages, participants would receive a supportive text message or a phone call from a counsellor. Duration: 6 months. User involvement in development: not stated.	Participants in the control group received usual care.
Mason 2014 [89]	Parallel group RCT. Country: USA. Device: mobile phone. Media: SMS	18 students enrolled undergraduate psychology courses at a large southeastern university who met criteria of ‘hazardous’ drinking. Mean age: 19.2 y (SD 1.3). Females: 56%. (Not provided by intervention group)	To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an alcohol counselling intervention delivered via personalised text messages for college students with problem alcohol use.	The intervention group received between four and six text messages daily for 4 days that required brief participant responses during the week following the web-based baseline assessment. Participants in the intervention group could also request booster texts for additional support. Texts were personalized using data collected at baseline. Duration: 1 month. User involvement in development: not stated.	No texts
Suffoletto 2012 [90]	RCT with 3 arms. Country: USA Device: Mobile telephone; Media: SMS	109 18–24 year olds were screened for hazardous drinking and 52 screened positive. To be eligible for the trial, participants had to own a personal mobile phone with text messaging features. Those who reported previous treatment for alcohol dependence or current treatment for any psychiatric condition were ineligible. Those who met inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomized. 45 were randomised. Mean age: 21y (SD 1.8)	To determine whether text messaging can be used to assess drinking in young adults and can deliver brief interventions to young adults discharged from the emergency department.	Each week for 12 weeks, assessment group participants received the following text message: ‘‘Pittsburgh Alcohol Research: Please respond ‘‘Yes” within 6 hours to start your weekly questions. DON’T TEXT WHILE DRIVING.” For the Intervention group initial TM-based prompts were identical to the Assessment group. When participants replied they received a tailored message depending on the amount of alcohol they reported to have consumed. Duration: 3 months. User involvement in development: not stated.	Each week for 12 weeks, participants in the Control group received the following text message, ‘‘Pittsburgh Alcohol Research: Look for our email in [X] weeks to complete your final survey,” where [X] was the number of weeks until study completion.
Suffoletto 2014 [91]	Parallel three group RCT. Country: USA. Device: mobile phone. Media: SMS	765 young adult emergency department patients who screened positive for past hazardous alcohol use. Mean age: Control: 21.8 (SD 2.1); SMS and feedback group: 22.0 (SD 2.0); SMS only group: 22.0 (SD 2.0). Females: 67%; SMS and feedback group: 65.4%; SMS only group: 63.8%.	To evaluate the efficacy of a 12-week SMS intervention that encourage lower alcohol consumption, specifically binge drinking (≥5 drinks per occasion for men and ≥4 drinks per occasion for women) among young adults.	SA+F participants received a series of welcome text messages within 1 hour of enrolment, describing what to expect during the course of intervention exposure. Each Thursday, for 12 weeks, they were sent a text asking them to report their weekend drinking plans. If they reported anticipating a heavy drinking day, they were then asked whether they were willing to set a low-risk drinking goal (<5 drinks per occasion for men or <4 drinks per occasion for women). Depending on the response to each query, participants were provided with real-time text feedback to either strengthen their low-risk drinking plan or goal, or to promote reflection on their drinking plan or decision not to set a low-risk goal. Then, on Sunday, participants were sent a text asking them to report the most drinks they had during a single occasion during the weekend. Depending on their response, they were provided with text feedback to either support their low-risk drinking behaviour or promote reflection on their binge-drinking behaviour. Participants in the SA group did not receive any pre-weekend text message assessments but received identical text drinking assessments each Sunday for 12 weeks without receiving any alcohol-related feedback. Duration: 3 months User involvement in development: intervention based on that used in Suffoletto et al., 2012, “further developed by a multidisciplinary team of emergency physicians and alcohol treatment specialists using feedback from young adult drinkers.”	No SMS

AUD, alcohol use dependency; SMS, short messaging service; RCT, randomised controlled trial