South Kingstown, RI – October 18, 2012 – Pro-Change was awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation grant in 2012 on September 20. Funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) was won to complete and enhance the development of a responsible drinking intervention and to test it in a randomized clinical trial. The intervention will target employed adults who are at least 21 years of age and who consume alcohol at risky levels. Risky drinking is defined by NIAAA as more than 14 drinks per week or more than 4 drinks per day for men, and as more than 7 drinks per week or more than 3 drinks per day for women. The intervention will include a computer tailored intervention offering guidance and feedback on drinking quantity and severity, goal setting, and the most appropriate stage-based strategies for change. To support and reinforce the change process, a dynamic and engaging Participant Activity Center and personalized text messages will complement the intervention and offer additional stage-matched change guidance. Through this grant Pro-Change will further enhance our product optimization for mobile devices. The Responsible Drinking program will eventually be added to our award-winning LifeStyle Management Suite as a cost-effective means to intervene with adults on their drinking habits in a private, convenient, and individualized way. For more information, please contact Principal Investigator Leanne Mauriello, PhD, at lmauriello@prochange.com.
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded Pro-Change funding for a separate project entitled, “Computerized Stage-Matched Intervention for Juvenile Offenders, ” which received a perfect score from reviewers. This research will assess the efficacy of a multimedia stage-based computer-tailored intervention called Rise Above Your Situation program (RAYS), designed as an adjunct to traditional juvenile justice programs. The intervention delivers assessments and individualized feedback matched to readiness to stay out of trouble with the law and quit alcohol and drugs. At the end of each session, the program also generates a counselor report that summarizes the youth’s feedback and presents concrete, easy-to-implement strategies probation officers or counselors can use to reinforce stage-matched concepts. In collaboration with the Iowa Juvenile Court System, the efficacy of the RAYS program will be tested in a randomized clinical trial involving 1,000 youth age 13-17 on probation. Primary outcomes will be criminal recidivism and substance abuse abstinence at 6 and 12 months follow-up. For more information, please contact Principal Investigator Deborah Levesque, PhD, at dlevesque@prochange.com.