Prevention of Alcohol Related Incidents in the US Air Force: Results from a Cluster Randomized Trial

Abstract

Background: Alcohol misuse poses significant public health concerns in the U.S. military. A Brief Alcohol Intervention (BAI) have been shown to reduce alcohol related incidents among Airmen undergoing training. Purpose: The current study sought to examine whether a booster BAI administered at the end of an Airmens training reduced alcohol related incidents out to a one-year follow-up. Methods: Participants were 26,231 US Air Force Technical Trainees recruited between March 2016 and July 2018. Participants were cluster randomized to two conditions: BAI + BAI Booster or BAI + Bystander Intervention. The primary analysis was a comparison of the interventions efficacies in preventing Article 15s at a one-year follow-up, conducted using a generalized estimating equations logistic regression model controlling for covariates. Results: There was no significant difference by condition in Article 15s at the one-year follow-up (p=0.915). Individuals under 21 and who expressed intentions to use alcohol at baseline had a greater likelihood of receiving an Article 15 at follow-up (ps less than 0.001). Conclusions: Findings suggest that a booster may not be necessary to produce maximum effects beyond an initial BAI intervention. It is also possible that alcohol behaviors changed as a result of the intervention but were not measured. Future research should consider alternative outcomes or participant tracking measures to determine whether a different or more intensive BAI booster is effective. The majority of Article 15s were for underage drinking; therefore, developing an intervention focused on this problem behavior could lead to large reductions in training costs in the military.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1125124

Entities

People

  • Gerald W. Talcott
  • Indika Mallawaarachchi
  • James Murphy
  • Kinsey Pebley
  • Meghan E McDevitt-Murphy
  • Melissa A Little
  • Robert C Klesges
  • Timothy Mcmurry

Organizations

  • 59th Medical Wing
  • University of Memphis
  • University of Virginia

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Child Abuse
  • Clinical Trials
  • Demography
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Domestic Violence
  • Drug Abuse
  • Economics
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Health Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • Native Americans
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Students
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Surveys
  • United States
  • Universities
  • Violence

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
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