*Disclaimer: Please note that parts of this English sci-fly were automatically translated.*
When you read the title, you might think there’s reason to be angry, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is about Bhoos (pronounced Booz), an app that can help students make their drinking habits safer. Students and alcohol are not an unexpected combination, but there are several risks associated with alcohol consumption at this young age. These include blackouts, poorer academic performance, unwanted sexual experiences, and traffic accidents, as well as the later development of alcohol addiction or even premature death. That is precisely why it is interesting that researchers are now looking at a solution that students literally have in their pockets: their phones. Apps are always available, easily scalable, and can also provide personal feedback that is more difficult to achieve with traditional interventions. In other words: Go where the students are, in this case, on their phones. This article by Chow and his colleagues offers a valuable perspective on how digital interventions, such as the Bhoos app, can contribute to promoting safer drinking behavior among students and play an important role in reducing alcohol-related risks on campus.
KERN
Main findings: The use of the Bhoos app among students was associated with an increase in confidence in the use of protective behaviors while drinking alcohol (such as stopping or limiting alcohol consumption, protecting your drink, or not going home alone). Studies 1 and 2 reported varying effects on the actual reduction of alcohol consumption. App engagement and qualitative feedback confirm the feasibility and user-friendliness of the app.
Implications: Preliminary evidence suggests that Bhoos is a feasible and promising intervention for increasing confidence in the use of protective behaviors while drinking among students. Evidence for an overall reduction in alcohol consumption is limited and inconsistent: the authors cite improved user-friendliness and app updates as possible explanations for these differences. Personalized real-time feedback appears to be a promising mechanism for influencing behavior, although the findings are preliminary (pre–post design and a small sample size in study 2) and should therefore be interpreted with caution.
Recommendations: Future research could build on the findings of the current study by: (1) conducting randomized controlled trials with larger and more diverse samples; (2) extending the intervention duration and follow-up measurements; (3) using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) or objective measurements via the app to capture actual behavior; (4) investigating the role of campus or societal events and optimizing features based on user feedback.
RESEARCH METHODS
What? The primary goal of Bhoos is to promote safer drinking behavior, largely by increasing students’ confidence in protective strategies, with a possible secondary outcome of reducing overall alcohol consumption.
Who? Study 1: Phase 1 included 83 participants (mean age 20.8 years; 68% female) and phase 2 included 172 participants (mean age 20.1 years; 60% female). Focus groups consisted of 18 participants from phase 2.
Study 2: A total of 43 students between the ages of 18 and 35 were recruited, 60% of whom identified as female.
How? Bhoos is a mobile app for real-time registration of alcohol consumption; users log time-stamped consumption, after which the app calculates an estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) based on gender, weight, and type/number of drinks and provides targeted safety alerts. A dashboard shows current and previous drinking history; users can also track streaks and, via links to health apps such as Apple Health or Google Fit, record secondary health indicators (e.g., activity, sleep).
The feasibility and preliminary impact of Bhoos was investigated in two pre-post studies conducted over a four-week period among students at a university in the US. In study 1, in addition to the reported drinking results and protective behavioral strategies, the involvement of students with the app and their assessment of its usability were also examined. The group of students who received a financial incentive to use the app was also examined separately. At the end of study 1, focus groups were held to gather feedback from participants about the app. Study 2 was conducted with an improved version of the app and focused on replicating study 1, without a group receiving a financial reward.
RESULTS
- In study 1, the frequency of alcohol consumption did not decrease, but students reported increased confidence in applying protective behaviors while drinking alcohol.
- App engagement data and mixed-methods results confirm the user-friendliness of Bhoos.
- Adding financial incentives had no demonstrable effect on outcomes or on app usage in study 1.
- Qualitative feedback from study 1 identified specific areas for improvement that were incorporated into the app.
- Study 2 reproduced the increase in confidence in the use of protective behaviors and also showed a decrease in the frequency of alcohol consumption and higher user satisfaction with the app, possibly as a result of the improvements made in study 1.
DETAILS
Chow, P. I., Smith, J., Saini, R., Frederick, C., Clark, C., Ritterband, M., Halbert, J. P., Cheney, K., Daniel, K. E., & Ingersoll, K. S. (2025). A Novel Just-in-Time Intervention for Promoting Safer Drinking Among College Students: App Testing Across 2 Independent Pre-Post Trials. JMIR Hum Factors, 12, e69873. https://doi.org/10.2196/69873
This sci-fly was written by Lise Dams (Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University) for RAD-blog, the blog about smoking, alcohol, drugs, and diet.
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