Thursday, November 21, 2024 11/21/2024

Piloting Deposit Contracts to Increase Accessibility of a Contingency Management Intervention to Reduce Problematic Drinking

Award Number: R21AA029659
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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Project Summary/Abstract Problem drinking is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the US, with high economic cost; however, effective interventions often remain inaccessible. In response, this R21 application proposes to translate our previously developed incentive-based intervention into a sustainable, easily accessible intervention using remote alcohol monitoring and deposit contracts, targeting individuals who would not be reached by more traditional forms of treatment due to barriers such as time constraints, attitudes, and stigma. Incentive-based interventions are highly effective and overcome many of these barriers and can be attractive to people not seeking more formal treatment for their substance abuse. Previously we demonstrated that one such incentive-based intervention (i.e., contingency management) providing weekly payments based on remote alcohol monitoring effectively reduces dangerous drinking. However, contingency management interventions like ours remain largely inaccessible due three widely held concerns: (1) objectively detecting alcohol consumption is difficult (which we have overcome with remote alcohol monitoring); (2) providing incen- tives makes contingency management expensive; and (3) contingency management is viewed by some as ethically questionable, because it rewards clients for not engaging in behaviors they should not pursue anyway. To alleviate these concerns, we propose using deposit contracts. With deposit contracts: (a) individuals invest their own money, which is earned back if a specified goal (or contingency) is met; and (b) remote alcohol monitoring and electronic payment, obviate frequent clinic visits. Like contingency man- agement, deposit contracts provide incentives for the absence of problem drinking, but incentives come from participants themselves. Deposit contracts are less expensive than contingency management and reduce eth- ical objections by having participants reward themselves for reducing problematic drinking. This proposed pilot study will explore the feasibility of deposit contracts by recruiting heavy-drinking individuals into a deposit contract intervention aimed at reducing their problem drinking (Aim 1) and develop evidence of deposit contract effectiveness and cost-neutrality (Aim 2). Such an intervention would reduce barriers that limit accessibility (such as cost, time, and travel) and ethical concerns. This project is timely, since over a dozen companies are developing “Fitbit”-style alcohol monitoring devices, many of which are now undergoing pilot and validation work in preparation for consumer use (we are a site independently validating one such device). The work proposed will demonstrate feasibility, provide initial evidence of effectiveness, and lay the groundwork for a much larger study of an intervention that could be made widely accessible for reducing problem drinking in a novel and sustainable manner.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$400 )
2024	2023	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT SAN ANTONIO	7703 FLOYD CURL DR	SAN ANTONIO	TX	78229	BEXAR	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	004	3	8/2/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$184,509
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS	1112 DALLAS DR STE 4000	DENTON	TX	76205	DENTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	2	7/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$214,693
2024	2023	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT SAN ANTONIO	7703 FLOYD CURL DR	SAN ANTONIO	TX	78229	BEXAR	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	001	3	7/23/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$214,293
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS	1112 DALLAS DR STE 4000	DENTON	TX	76205	DENTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	003	2	8/2/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$1
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS	1112 DALLAS DR STE 4000	DENTON	TX	76205	DENTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	002	1	8/2/2024	NEW	-$184,508
														Subtotal = -$400

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $214,694 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS	1155 UNION CIR #305250	DENTON	TX	76203	DENTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	2	6/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$214,694
														Subtotal = $214,694

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $186,918 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS	1155 UNION CIR #305250	DENTON	TX	76203	DENTON	USA	Alcohol Research Programs	000	1	6/7/2022	NEW	$186,918
														Subtotal = $186,918

Grand Total All Awards = $401,212

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Piloting Deposit Contracts to Increase Accessibility of a Contingency Management Intervention to Reduce Problematic Drinking

Award Number: R21AA029659

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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