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Outcomes of two randomized controlled trials, employing participants recruited through Mechanical Turk, of Internet interventions targeting unhealthy alcohol use.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted to explore the utility of the Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform to conduct rapid trials evaluating online interventions for unhealthy alcohol use. METHODS:Both trials employed a staged recruitment procedure where participants who drank in an unhealthy fashion were identified using a baseline survey and then invited to take part in a 6-month follow-up. Participants in both trials were randomized to receive one of several different online interventions or to a no intervention control condition. In study 1, the online interventions were password protected and only those who accessed the study portal were randomized to condition. In study 2, participants were directed to free-of charge interventions and asked to send a screenshot of the intervention to demonstrate that they had complied. RESULTS:Participants reporting unhealthy alcohol use were recruited fairly rapidly. Large numbers of screeners were completed (Study 1: n?=?4910; Study 2: n?=?5812), found eligible (Study 1: n?=?3741; Study 2: n?=?4095), and randomized to condition (Study 1: n?=?511; Study 2: n?=?878). Fair follow-up rates were observed at 6?months for each study (Study 1: 82%; Study 2: 66%). Neither trial was able to clearly demonstrate that providing access to the online interventions lead to increased reductions in alcohol use as compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS:While recruitment through a crowdsourcing platform is rapid and relatively low cost, it is possible that the lack of impact of the online websites employed in these trials could be due to the source of participants rather than the lack of efficacy of the interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT02977026 and NCT03060135 .

SUBMITTER: Cunningham JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6570877 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Outcomes of two randomized controlled trials, employing participants recruited through Mechanical Turk, of Internet interventions targeting unhealthy alcohol use.

Cunningham John A JA Godinho Alexandra A Bertholet Nicolas N

BMC medical research methodology 20190614 1

<h4>Background</h4>Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted to explore the utility of the Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform to conduct rapid trials evaluating online interventions for unhealthy alcohol use.<h4>Methods</h4>Both trials employed a staged recruitment procedure where participants who drank in an unhealthy fashion were identified using a baseline survey and then invited to take part in a 6-month follow-up. Participants in both trials were randomized to recei ...[more]

PMID: 31200648

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Project description:Internet interventions face significant challenges in recruitment and attrition rates are typically high and problematic. Finding innovative yet scientifically valid avenues for attaining and retaining participants is therefore of considerable importance. The main goal of this study was to compare recruitment process and participants characteristics between two similar randomized control trials of mood management interventions. One of the trials (Bunge et al., 2016) was conducted with participants recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk (AMT), and the other trial recruited via Unpaid Internet Resources (UIR). Methods:The AMT sample (Bunge et al., 2016) consisted of 765 adults, and the UIR sample (recruited specifically for this study) consisted of 329 adult US residents. Participants' levels of depression, anxiety, confidence, motivation, and perceived usefulness of the intervention were assessed. The AMT sample was financially compensated whereas the UIR was not. Results:AMT yielded higher recruitment rates per month (p?<?.05). At baseline, the AMT sample reported significantly lower depression and anxiety scores (p?<?.001 and p?<?.005, respectively) and significantly higher mood, motivation, and confidence (all p?<?.001) compared to the UIR sample. AMT participants spent significantly less time on the site (p?<?.05) and were more likely to complete follow-ups than the UIR sample (p?<?.05). Both samples reported a significant increase in their level of confidence and motivation from pre- to post-intervention. AMT participants showed a significant increase in perceived usefulness of the intervention (p?<?.0001), whereas the UIR sample did not (p?=?.1642). Conclusions:By using AMT, researchers can recruit very rapidly and obtain higher retention rates; however, these participants may not be representative of the general online population interested in clinical interventions. Considering that AMT and UIR participants differed in most baseline variables, data from clinical studies resulting from AMT samples should be interpreted with caution.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Unhealthy alcohol use (UAU) is one of the major causes of preventable morbidity, mortality, and associated behavioral risks worldwide. Although mobile health (mHealth) interventions can provide consumers with an effective means for self-control of UAU in a timely, ubiquitous, and cost-effective manner, to date, there is a lack of understanding about different health outcomes brought by such interventions. The core components of these interventions are also unclear. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to systematically review and synthesize the research evidence about the efficacy of mHealth interventions on various health outcomes for consumer self-control of UAU and to identify the core components to achieve these outcomes. METHODS:We systematically searched 7 electronic interdisciplinary databases: Scopus, PubMed, PubMed Central, CINAHL Plus with full text, MEDLINE with full text, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES. Search terms and Medical Subject Headings "mHealth," "text message," "SMS," "App," "IVR," "self-control," "self-regulation," "alcohol*," and "intervention" were used individually or in combination to identify peer-reviewed publications in English from 2008 to 2017. We screened titles and abstracts and assessed full-text papers as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted from the included papers according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials-EHEALTH checklist (V 1.6.1) by 2 authors independently. Data quality was assessed by the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data synthesis and analyses were conducted following the procedures for qualitative content analysis. Statistical testing was also conducted to test differences among groups of studies. RESULTS:In total, 19 studies were included in the review. Of these 19 studies, 12 (63%) mHealth interventions brought significant positive outcomes in improving participants' health as measured by behavioral (n=11), physiological (n=1), and cognitive indicators (n=1). No significant health outcome was reported in 6 studies (6/19, 32%). Surprisingly, a significant negative outcome was reported for the male participants in the intervention arm in 1 study (1/19, 5%), but no change was found for the female participants. In total, 5 core components reported in the mHealth interventions for consumer self-control of UAU were context, theoretical base, delivery mode, content, and implementation procedure. However, sound evidence is yet to be generated about the role of each component for mHealth success. The health outcomes were similar regardless of types of UAU, deployment setting, with or without nonmobile cointervention, and with or without theory. CONCLUSIONS:Most studies reported mHealth interventions for self-control of UAU appeared to be improving behavior, especially the ones delivered by short message service and interactive voice response systems. Further studies are needed to gather sound evidence about the effects of mHealth interventions on improving physiological and cognitive outcomes as well as the optimal design of these interventions, their implementation, and effects in supporting self-control of UAU.

Project description:Background and aimsProblem gambling and unhealthy alcohol use often co-occur. The current trial sought to establish whether adding a brief online intervention for unhealthy alcohol use to an online problem gambling intervention would lead to improvements in gambling and drinking among those with both of these concerns.MethodsParticipants were recruited from across Canada using an advertisement targeting those concerned about their gambling who were interested in online help. No mention of unhealthy alcohol use was made in the advertisement. Participants meeting criteria for problem gambling were randomized to either receive just an online intervention for gambling (G-only) or to receive an online gambling intervention plus a brief personalized feedback intervention for unhealthy alcohol use (G + A). Participants were followed up at 3 and 6 months.ResultsA total of 282 participants were recruited for the trial. Follow-up rates were good (80% and 84% at 3 and 6 months). There were significant reductions in gambling (p < .001) across time but no significant differences (p > .05) between those who received either the G-only or G + A interventions. Further, for those with unhealthy alcohol use (41% of the sample), there were no significant reductions in alcohol consumption (p > .05) across time or differences between condition.Discussion and conclusionThe addition of a brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use to an online intervention for gambling did not appear to improve either gambling or drinking outcomes among people concerned about their gambling. Further research is merited to examine whether a combined intervention (with gambling and drinking components integrated) might result in improved outcomes and whether such an intervention might benefit the subgroup of participants who would specifically seek help for both gambling and alcohol concerns.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.govNCT03323606; Registration date: October 24, 2017.

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Outcomes of two randomized controlled trials, employing participants recruited through Mechanical Turk, of Internet interventions targeting unhealthy alcohol use.

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Outcomes of two randomized controlled trials, employing participants recruited through Mechanical Turk, of Internet interventions targeting unhealthy alcohol use.

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