A Mobile Application for Mexican Youth Alcohol Interventions
A Formative Evaluation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47756/aihc.y9i1.148Keywords:
Alcohol Consumption, Mobile Sensing, Chatbot, Usability Testing, Text-Based Interventions, User InvolvementAbstract
Risky alcohol consumption and binge drinking among Mexican youth represent significant public health issues. In this work, we present SofIA, a mobile application designed to monitor and intervene in the alcohol consumption patterns of Mexican youth. We designed a naturalistic, formative study intended to obtain feedback on SofIA. This study aimed to assess the usability and effectiveness of the application using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Chatbot Usability Questionnaire (CUQ). Our results indicate a moderate level of usability with suggestions for targeted improvements to enhance user experience and application efficacy. This study provides insights into the design of mobile apps for public health interventions for youth alcohol misuse, highlighting the need for further research to optimize these digital tools.
Downloads
References
Breinbauer, C. (2005). Youth: Choices and change: Promoting healthy behaviors in adolescents (No. 594). Pan American Health Org. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/e536642013-001
Brooke, J. (1996). SUS-A quick and dirty usability scale. Usability evaluation in industry, 189(194), 4-7.
Clement, A., Ravet, M., Stanger, C., & Gabrielli, J. (2024). Feasibility, usability, and acceptability of MobileCoach-Teen: A smartphone app-based preventative intervention for risky adolescent drinking behavior. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 159, 209275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2023.209275
Crane, D., Garnett, C., Brown, J., West, R., & Michie, S. (2018). Behavior change techniques in popular alcohol reduction apps: Content analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 20(1), e19.
Crane, D., Garnett, C., Michie, S., West, R., & Brown, J. (2018). A smartphone app to reduce excessive alcohol consumption: Identifying the effectiveness of intervention components in a factorial randomised control trial. Scientific reports, 8(1), 4384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22420-8
Gajecki, M., Berman, A. H., Sinadinovic, K., Rosendahl, I., & Andersson, C. (2014). Mobile phone brief intervention applications for risky alcohol use among university students: A randomized controlled study. Addiction science & clinical practice, 9(1), 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1940-0640-9-11
Gustafson, D. H., McTavish, F. M., Chih, M. Y., Atwood, A. K., Johnson, R. A., Boyle, M. G., ... & Shah, D. (2014). A smartphone application to support recovery from alcoholism: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 71(5), 566-572. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.4642
Hides, L., Quinn, C., Cockshaw, W., Stoyanov, S., Zelenko, O., Johnson, D., ... & Kavanagh, D. J. (2018). Efficacy and outcomes of a mobile app targeting alcohol use in young people. Addictive behaviors, 77, 89-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.09.020
Holmes, S., Moorhead, A., Bond, R., Zheng, H., Coates, V., & McTear, M. (2019, September). Usability testing of a healthcare chatbot: Can we use conventional methods to assess conversational user interfaces?. In Proceedings of the 31st European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics (pp. 207-214). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3335082.3335094
Hutton, A., Prichard, I., Whitehead, D., Thomas, S., Rubin, M., Sloand, E., ... & Goodwin Veenema, T. (2020). mHealth interventions to reduce alcohol use in young people: a systematic review of the literature. Comprehensive child and adolescent nursing, 43(3), 171-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24694193.2019.1616008
Kazemi, D. M., Borsari, B., Levine, M. J., Li, S., Lamberson, K. A., & Matta, L. A. (2017). A systematic review of the mHealth interventions to prevent alcohol and substance abuse. Journal of health communication, 22(5), 413-432. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2017.1303556
Kretzschmar, K., Tyroll, H., Pavarini, G., Manzini, A., Singh, I., & NeurOx Young People’s Advisory Group. (2019). Can your phone be your therapist? Young people’s ethical perspectives on the use of fully automated conversational agents (chatbots) in mental health support. Biomedical informatics insights, 11, 1178222619829083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1178222619829083
Nesvåg, S., & McKay, J. R. (2018). Feasibility and effects of digital interventions to support people in recovery from substance use disorders: systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(8), e255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.9873
Radovic, A., Vona, P. L., Santostefano, A. M., Ciaravino, S., Miller, E., & Stein, B. D. (2016). Smartphone applications for mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(7), 465-470. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0619
Reséndiz Escobar, E., Bustos Gamiño, M. N., Mujica Salazar, R., Soto Hernández, I. S., Cañas Martínez, V., Fleiz Bautista, C., ... & Villatoro Velázquez, J. A. (2018). National trends in alcohol consumption in Mexico: results of the National Survey on Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption 2016-2017. Salud mental, 41(1), 7-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17711/SM.0185-3325.2018.003
Saunders J.B., Aasland O.G., Babor T.F., de la Fuente J.R. and Grant M. Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption II. Addiction 1993; 88:791-804. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02093.x
Suffoletto, B., Kristan, J., Callaway, C., Kim, K. H., Chung, T., Monti, P. M., & Clark, D. B. (2014). A text message alcohol intervention for young adult emergency department patients: a randomized clinical trial. Annals of emergency medicine, 64(6), 664-672. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.06.010
Telzer, E. H., Gonzales, N., & Fuligni, A. J. (2014). Family obligation values and family assistance behaviors: Protective and risk factors for Mexican–American adolescents’ substance use. Journal of youth and adolescence, 43, 270-283. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9941-5
Witkiewitz, K., Desai, S. A., Bowen, S., Leigh, B. C., Kirouac, M., & Larimer, M. E. (2014). Development and evaluation of a mobile intervention for heavy drinking and smoking among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 28(3), 639. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034747
World Health Organization. (2018). Global status report on alcohol and health 2018.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
AMexIHC make every effort to ensure the accuracy and rigour of all the information (the "Content") contained in out publications. However, AMexIHC and our representatives make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by AMexIHC. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information.