2 College Truths and 1 Lie

Launched by LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY · Aug 26, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This is a small, early-stage randomized trial at Loyola Marymount University that is testing whether a gamified social norms marketing campaign called 2 College Truths & 1 Lie (2T1L) can prevent or reduce drinking among first-year college students. Participants are randomly placed into one of three groups: a gamified Instagram-based campaign (2T1L), a non-gamified Instagram social norms campaign, or an assessment-only control. The idea is to correct misperceptions about how much peers drink, with the goal of lowering students’ own drinking during the first year. The study is a pilot to see if the approach is feasible and may reduce drinking, with outcomes checked over about a year.

Who can join and what you would experience: A student eligible to participate is 18–20 years old, starting as a first-year at LMU, has a valid LMU email, and uses Instagram at least 1–3 times per week, and is willing to consent. If eligible, you would be randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The campaigns run for six weeks in the early fall, mainly through Instagram ads, followed by short surveys about 1 month after the campaign ends and again about six months later. The study will look at changes in (1) how much you drink on an average week, (2) your maximum number of drinks on a single occasion, and (3) how accurately you perceive your peers’ drinking—comparing baseline to 4 months and 9 months after starting. The trial aims to recruit about 414 participants (roughly 138 per group) and is led by researchers at LMU.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Incoming first-year student with valid LMU email address
• • 18-20 years of age
• • Checks their Instagram 1-3+ times per week
• • Consented to participate in the study
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Not an incoming first year student attending LMU
• • Under 18 years of age or over 20 years of age
• • Do not have an Instagram account or checks it fewer than 1-3+ times per week
• • Did not consent to participate in the study