Balance

Description:

"Balance" is an online alcohol intervention hosted by the Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Norway. Users are screened and receive personalised normative feedback comparing their alcohol consumption with 1) recommended gender-matched low-risk drinking guidelines, and 2) national gender-matched averages. The program comprises of 62 online sessions, administered sequentially over a 6-month period; the first 56 sessions are made available daily over the initial 8-week period, then a session per week for 4 weeks, followed by a session every 4 weeks for 8 weeks (i.e. two sessions). Users receive reminder emails and text-messages, and can receive supportive text messages on demand. Users log daily alcohol consumption and self-efficacy. Sessions take 3-10 minutes to complete, and include interactive tasks, cognitive behavioural assigments, and quizzes. 

Service URL:

https://akan.no/verktoy/balance/

Agency Responsible:

Akan Kompetansesenter.

Details

Format:

Website.

Intervention Type:

Other. Continued self-regulation to effect behaviour change.

Course Length:

Long (more than 5 modules). 62 sessions

Support Option:

Automated only.

Target Audience

Primary Category:

Alcohol.

Target Audience:

Adult.

Language:

Norwegian.

Access

Fee:

Free.

Access:

Open: With registration.

Contact Details:

akan@akan.no

Research evidence

Research Trials:

2

Research RCTs:

1

Outcome Summary:

In a pragmatic randomised trial of at-risk drinkers (N=244) using intent-to-treat analyses and utilising an information-only control condition, participants in the intervention condition showed significantly lower alcohol consumption at immediate post-test (6 months after screening); (B = 2.96; 95% confidence interval = 0.02–5.90; P = 0.049), corresponding to an effect-size of 0.20 (Cohen's d).

Recommended rating, reviewer 1:

Recommended rating, reviewer 2:

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Research paper citations

Brendryen, H., et al. (2014). "Balance—a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of an online intensive self‐help alcohol intervention." Addiction 109(2): 218-226.

Brendryen, H., et al. (2017). "A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet-Based Alcohol Intervention in a Workplace Setting." International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 24(5): 768-777.