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

NCT ID: NCT04923256

Last Updated: 2025-08-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 188 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2024-03-01

Brief 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

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Experimental: Approach Bias Modification

Participants will complete 2 x 5-7 min training sessions of approach bias modification for the period of four weeks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

AAT-APP: A novel smart-phone approach-avoidance bias modification intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Control: Minimal intervention

Participants will complete a standardised alcohol approach-avoidance training task (AAT) on a weekly basis for four weeks.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Sham training control

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Complete an AAT on a weekly basis for four weeks

Interventions

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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Sham training control

Complete an AAT on a weekly basis for four weeks

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adults aged 55+ years
• Score 8 or higher on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (indicates 'hazardous' levels of alcohol use).
• Access to an Android or Apple smart phone and Australian contact number
• Wish to reduce their drinking
• Live within the Eastern Health Primary and Secondary Catchment (see map below)

Exclusion Criteria

• Under age 55
• Not concerned about their drinking
• Do not wish to reduce their alcohol use in the next 4-6 weeks
• Do not reside with the appropriate catchment will be excluded.
• Experiencing severe alcohol problems likely to need professional treatment (i.e. presence of withdrawal symptoms in the past year)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Monash University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Eastern Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Turning Point

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Victoria Manning, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Turning Point

Locations

Turning Point

Richmond, Victoria, Australia

Countries

Australia

Other Identifiers

73140

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id