NCT04923256

AAT-APP+: A Novel Brain-training App to Reduce Drinking

AAT-APP+: A Pilot RCT of a Novel Smart-phone App to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Middle to Older Adults in the Eastern Health Community

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 188 (actual)
• Sponsor: Turning Point · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a smart phone delivered form of cognitive training intervention (Approach Bias Modification (ABM)) in a non-clinical community sample of middle to older adults (\>55 years) reporting hazardous alcohol use in a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT). This app is called AAT-APP+

Detailed description

Alcohol use in older adults is of particular concern, with the 55-74 year old cohort most likely to exceed lifetime alcohol risk. Approach Bias Modification (ABM) is a form of computerised cognitive training that is an efficacious intervention for alcohol use disorder. Previous studies are limited in that the stimuli are not personalised, nor are interventions readily accessible to non-treatment seeking problem drinkers. This has led to the development of a world-first, smart phone version of ABM called AAT-APP+ The current study aims to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of AAT-APP+ in reducing alcohol consumption and cravings in a pilot RCT with a non-clinical community sample of 100 older adults (aged 55+ years) reporting hazardous alcohol use (i.e. a score of 8+ on the AUDIT), recruited via targeted advertising. Participants in active training will upload (or select pre-selected) photos of beverages and meaningful activities, which will form the 'avoid' and 'approach' stimuli, respectively, then complete two training sessions per week for four weeks, with results compared to controls. AAT-APP+ holds promise as an innovate, cost-effective, and remotely accessible adjunctive support tool.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	AAT-APP: A novel smart-phone approach-avoidance bias modification intervention	Participants allocated to the intervention group will be required to upload photos of drinks they wish to avoid, as well as activities they wish to engage in more, and be trained to avoid and approach by repeatedly 'swiping' images away from and towards themselves, respectively.
BEHAVIORAL	Sham training control	Complete an AAT on a weekly basis for four weeks

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-06-30
• Primary completion: 2023-04-01
• Completion: 2024-03-01
• First posted: 2021-06-11
• Last updated: 2025-08-01

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Australia