Helmer Stefanie M, Muellmann Saskia, Zeeb Hajo, Pischke Claudia R
Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
BMC Public Health. 2016 Mar 11;16:252. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2898-z.
Previous research suggests that perceptions of peer substance use are associated with personal use. Specifically, overestimating use in the peer group is predictive of higher rates of personal substance use. 'Social norms'-interventions are based on the premise that changing these misperceived social norms regarding substance use by providing feedback on actual norms is associated with a reduction in personal substance use. Studies conducted in the U.S.A. suggest that 'social norms'-feedback is an effective strategy for reducing substance use among university students. It is unknown whether the effects of a 'social norms'-feedback on substance use can be replicated in a sample of German university students. The objective of this article is to describe the study design and aims of the 'INternet-based Social norms-Intervention for the prevention of substance use among Students' (INSIST)-study, a cluster-controlled trial examining the effects of a web-based 'social norms'- intervention in students enrolled at four intervention universities with those enrolled at four delayed intervention control universities. The INSIST-study is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health.
METHODS/DESIGN: Eight universities in four regions in Germany will take part in the study, four serving as intervention and four as delayed intervention control universities (randomly selected within a geographic region). Six hundred students will be recruited at each university and will be asked to complete a web-based survey assessing personal and perceived substance use/attitudes towards substance use at baseline. These data will be used to develop the web-based 'social norms'-feedback tailored to gender and university. Three months after the baseline survey, students at intervention universities will receive the intervention. Two months after the launch of the intervention, students of all eight universities will be asked to complete the follow-up questionnaires to assess changes in perceptions of/attitudes toward peer substance use and rates of personal substance use.
This study is the first German cluster-controlled trial investigating the influence of a web-based 'social norms'-intervention on perceptions of/attitudes towards substance use and substance use behavior in a large university student sample. This study will provide new information on the efficacy of this intervention strategy in the German university context.
DRKS00007635 at the 'German Clinical Trials Register' (17.12.2014).
先前的研究表明，对同伴物质使用情况的认知与个人使用情况相关。具体而言，高估同伴群体中的使用情况可预测个人物质使用的更高发生率。“社会规范”干预基于这样一个前提，即通过提供关于实际规范的反馈来改变这些对物质使用的错误认知社会规范，与减少个人物质使用相关。在美国进行的研究表明，“社会规范”反馈是减少大学生物质使用的有效策略。尚不清楚“社会规范”反馈对物质使用的影响是否能在德国大学生样本中得到复制。本文的目的是描述“基于互联网的预防学生物质使用社会规范干预”（INSIST）研究的研究设计和目标，这是一项整群对照试验，研究基于网络的“社会规范”干预对四所干预大学的学生与四所延迟干预对照大学的学生在物质使用方面的影响。INSIST研究由德国联邦卫生部资助。
方法/设计：德国四个地区的八所大学将参与该研究，四所作为干预大学，四所作为延迟干预对照大学（在一个地理区域内随机选择）。每所大学将招募600名学生，并要求他们在基线时完成一项基于网络的调查，评估个人和感知到的物质使用情况/对物质使用的态度。这些数据将用于开发针对性别和大学量身定制的基于网络的“社会规范”反馈。在基线调查三个月后，干预大学的学生将接受干预。在干预启动两个月后，所有八所大学的学生将被要求完成后续问卷，以评估对同伴物质使用的认知/态度变化以及个人物质使用发生率。
本研究是德国第一项整群对照试验，调查基于网络的“社会规范”干预对大量大学生样本中物质使用的认知/态度以及物质使用行为的影响。本研究将提供关于这种干预策略在德国大学环境中的效果的新信息。
在“德国临床试验注册中心”注册为DRKS00007635（2014年12月17日）。
