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Mobile interventions: targeting alcohol misuse among college and university students

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Mobile interventions: targeting alcohol misuse among college and university students

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Content Running head: CAPSTONE PROJECT AND PROTOTYPE
Mobile Interventions:
Targeting Alcohol Misuse Among College and University Students
by
Michael Leone
A Doctoral Capstone Project
Presented to the Faculty of the
SUZANNE DWORAK-PECK SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF SOCIAL WORK
May 2020
SOWK 722
Annalisa Enrile, Ph.D., LCSW, advisor
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 2
Capstone Project Paper and Prototype
Executive Summary
Identified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW as a
critical issue currently facing society, closing the health gap is an area in need of bold innovation
and the collective actions of social workers (Fong et al., 2018). Also recognized by the AASWW
as one of three primary issues impacting the gap in our collective health, reducing and preventing
alcohol misuse and its consequences, has become one of the most compelling problems in the
practice of the social work profession today (Fong et al., 2018). Alcohol misuse and its many
consequences represent a pervasive problem that impacts almost every aspect in which the social
work profession is involved (Fong et al., 2018).
The World Health Organization [WHO] and Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration [SAMHSA] identified young adults between the ages of 18 – 24 as the
population suffering the most negative consequences from alcohol misuse ("SAMHSA -
National Health Survey," 2015; Key Learning on Health Policy Implementation from Around the
World," 2017). Further studies by the SAMSHA report that young adults in this age range
attending college misuse alcohol at much higher rates than their non-college attending peers
("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015).
College-age students are socially and developmentally at a much higher risk for drinking
at unsafe levels due to the abrupt changes in autonomy, norms, and general attitudes that affect
drinking behaviors at this stage of life (NIH: Report on College Drinking, 2016). Social and
developmental challenges at this age include living on their own for the first time, increase in
their own self-determination, and the continued influence in the decision making process by peer
groups. Defined by SAMHSA as consuming four or more drinks in a two hour period, binge or
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 3
heavy drinking has many behavioral and physiological risks ("SAMHSA - National Health
Survey," 2015). The risks associated with misuse at this age include early-onset alcohol
dependency, increase risk of impulsive behaviors, increase risk of sexual and physical assault,
increased risk of use of other substances with potential for abuse and dependence, and ultimately
role failure ("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015). Longitudinal studies linking patterns
of alcohol use during this age to those later in life were concluded by SAMSHA in 2015
("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015).
To address the long-standing problem of binge drinking among college students, new and
innovative approaches must be engaged. Current and emerging college students value technology
and use it in very different ways than adults do currently ("Pew Research Center for Internet and
Technology," 2018). College students, on average, access an application on cell phones or tablets
every 190 seconds (Emanuel, 2017.) A very integrated part of their daily lives, it is an
expectation that technology become an embedded part of their daily interactions in their home,
school, work, and social lives ("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018).
Current beliefs about alcohol use in college come from a myriad of sources but primarily from
their parents and other older influencers and first-order actors (Binge Drinking in the College
Environment, 2008; White & Hingson, 2014). Most college students interviewed related family,
extended family, and close family friends all imparted stories of "mad and wild college
drinking," "insane drunken fun," and "out of control partying" while in college (White &
Hingson, 2014). Though few of these family influencers shared the negative consequences of
these binge drinking experiences, from what is known statistically, most of these individuals
suffered or continue to suffer the negative consequences of their college binge drinking (White &
Hingson, 2014). Normative expectations within their peer groups continue to prevent these
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 4
influencers from changing the narrative surrounding their experiences with alcohol use in
college, further perpetuating these dangerous myths and sustaining the current norm of "My
parents drank out of control in college and survived so I should be able to do it too."
The innovation is an amalgam of features embedded into a multi-function GPS
application entitled Me&U. The innovation delivers the primary intervention in the form of real
time updates on the negative impact of alcohol-related incidents on campus and in the
community through push notifications delivered directly to the user through the app. Other
interventions include drink trackers, alcohol and substance use screening tools, links to
community and campus health resources, and a myriad of other educational and support tools.
Safety features include interpersonal location tracking, single touch emergency notifications,
alternative travel links/ride services, and allows the user to post and read real time reporting of
potentially dangerous environmental hazards using the GPS function. The innovation delivers the
interventions while maintaining a highly usable and intuitive GPS and social media application.
The innovation’s design is based on research of current and emerging college age
students’ expectations of the integration of applications into academic settings (Emanuel, 2017).
The innovation increases personal accountability by allowing the user to set personalized drink
limits, as well as linking to the user's academic and personal calendar to remind the user of
important future events (again through push notifications). Concurrently, the Me&U app alerts
the user to real-time updates on alcohol-related police interactions, DUI checkpoints, underage
drinking and ID checkpoints, and statistical information on alcohol-related sexual and physical
assaults on campus and in the community. This use of situational awareness, the activation of
change in behaviors based on ones' perceptions of the negative consequences of threats in the
environment on the current and future self, have been shown to create both immediate and long
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 5
term change in drinking patterns among college students. The research based on Robert Saltz’
(2011) studies on environmental approaches to curbing binge drinking and on Albert Nofi’s
research on group responses to shared situational awareness were the primary influencers on the
development of the innovation (Nofi, 2002).
The Me&U app is continuously updated to meet the needs of the user and automatically
updates to meet the needs of the user (Emanuel, 2017). For example, based on user information,
the app suggests rideshare and free ride services offered by the specific university, offers
potential places to eat after a night out, and even adjunct services on and off campus to provide
support for anything relevant to the user including help studying, writing papers, or
questions/services for mental health or substance use.
The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR; CFIR - Center for
Management Research, 2009) and the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change,
(ERIC - Implementation Science, 2014) models assisted in developing a comprehensive
implementation strategy to accurately and ethically collect community and college student
population data, administer screening tools, collect user data, maintain model fidelity, and create
standards for implementation, evaluate impact, and store the highly sensitive user data (See
Appendix 1). The implementation plan consists of identifying five aims with four stages to
develop a blueprint for consistent delivery of the intervention, and data collection and innovation
tools. A continuous feedback loop was created to assist in sustaining the functional strategies
and improving those that need revision.
Due to the current and increasing use of electronic applications in current populations, the
application has potential to move beyond college users into the general public. As millennials
age into adulthood and emerging college students become active college students, the application
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 6
evolves along the innovation continuum and is a constant state of evolution and, as such, evolves
with user needs and retains its relevancy over time. Combined with the effectiveness of the
intervention across populations, the application has 10x potential for national and global impact.
Conceptual Framework

America, although among the wealthiest nations in the world, has been experiencing a
deterioration in our collective health over the past three decades (Fong et al., 2018). From birth
to death, when compared to nations with similar resources, we spend more money on health care
and have a pervasive pattern of poorer health over the course of our lifetimes (Fong et al., 2018).
Add to this the populations within our nation that experience the highest degree of economic
inequality and social exclusion also carry the burden of having the poorest health and highest
premature mortality rates (Fong et al., 2018). Identified by the AASWSW as a critical issue
facing society, closing the health gap is an area in need of bold innovation and the collective
actions of social workers today (Fong et al., 2018). Identified by the AASWW as one of three
primary issues impacting the gap in our collective health, reducing and preventing alcohol
misuse and its consequences, has become one of the most compelling problems in the practice of
the social work profession today (Fong et al., 2018).
In the provision of most services, social workers regularly provide support to people who
are negatively affected by their own, or someone else’s, alcohol use (Fong et al., 2018).
Identified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare as a grand challenge for
social work initiative, alcohol misuse and its consequences represent a pervasive problem that
impacts almost every aspect in which social work is involved (Fong et al., 2018). The rates of
alcohol consumption continue to be a major concern, particularly for individuals who are college
age (Agerwala & McCance-Katz, 2015; Binge Drinking in the College Environment, 2008).
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 7
Studies indicate that when college students consume alcohol, they binge drink (Binge Drinking
in the College Environment, 2008). The myriad of problems binge drinking causes for college
age students include both immediate and long-term mental and physical health problems, conflict
and failure in social and familial roles, lowered productivity in their student roles, an exponential
increase in the risk of sexual and physical assault in college communities, thus creating
increasingly unsafe and unhealthy college learning environments across the United States
(White & Hingson, 2015).
More and more young adults are attending college each year in the United States (Bureau
of labor statistics: the economics daily, 2017). Of the 3.1 million people ages 16 to 24 who
graduated from high school between January and October 2016, about 2.2 million, or 69.7
percent, were enrolled in college in October 2016 (Bureau of labor statistics: the economics
daily, 2017). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
asserts that by the time people reach their first year of college they have already experienced one
or more binge drinking episodes ("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015). SAMHSA also
relates exposure to binge drinking early in life significantly reduces the stigma associated with
risky alcohol use ("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015). Early exposure to binge
drinking in combination with the social and familial norms associated with college age binge
drinking such as, “my parents did it – why can’t I?” or “everyone does it so I should be able to
do it too” further complicate effective interventions. The repercussion of this behavior, as
research indicates, has increasingly serious physical, social, and psychological consequences
(Kington et al., 2008).
Physical, Social, and Psychological Consequences
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 8
Primary physiological issues associated with college age binge drinking include an
increased risk for metabolic disorders and chronic disease, alcohol dependence, long-term
sustainment of unhealthy drinking patterns, increased risk of exposure to sexually transmitted
diseases, poor impulse control, and is a contributing factor in 93% of sexual assaults in college
age populations (Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014), 2005 – 2013 (Fong et al.,
2018). Drinking patterns established during college age years often perpetuate throughout a
lifetime ("Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet," 2015). These drinking habits
contribute to chronic health conditions and negatively impact familial and social relationships,
create lower productivity in the work setting ("Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet,"
2015). The psychological and behavioral impact of binge drinking is that it causes the brain to
misinterpret body language and verbal cues and increases impulsivity (Issurdatt, 2011). The
results of this on a developing brain are a substantial increase in acting on immediate thoughts
without regard for consequences(Issurdatt, 2011). Added are the perpetuation of social norms
surrounding college binge drinking and continuous increases in incidences of impulsive and
unprotected sex and physical and sexual violence on college campuses in the last forty
years("Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet," 2015).
A 2015 SAMSHA report was the first study to note the negative social outcomes of
binge drinking. The study noted increased interpersonal conflict with peers, family, and intimate
relationships both during college age years and perpetuation of these behaviors many years after
leaving the college environment ("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2015). Also of concern
were a 40% increased risk of academic failure, and a 62% increased potential for interactions
with law enforcement (SAMHSA, 2013;"National Institute of Health ," 2015). Binge drinkers
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 9
also experienced severe emotional dysregulation problems both while drinking and when not
consuming alcohol ("Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet," 2015).
Binge drinking behaviors also cause significant harm to the cognitive functioning of
college age students (SAMHSA, 2015). Harmful drinking results in high concentrations of
alcohol entering the bloodstream quickly affecting cognitive processing in many challenging
ways ("National Institute of Health ," 2015; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2008;
Issurdatt, 2011). College age binge drinkers often experience an activating effect (arousal,
excitement, irritability) from alcohol versus the sedating effect that occurs for most adults
(Krieger, Young, Anthenien, & Neighbors, 2017). Binge drinking during college age years can
also result in long term problems with cognitive functioning affecting recall, short-term and
long-term memory, spatial and depth perception, and affect impulsivity and the ability to encode
and perceive action/consequence (Krieger et al., 2017).
Currently, the most common approaches to addressing the problem center around
educating students through basic awareness programs. ("National Institute of Health," 2015)
This prevention model is the standard on most college campuses and typically provided to
incoming students during orientation sessions, specialized events to increase awareness to health
and wellness issues, and occasionally through messages delivered to students directly from
educators. Consistently, health educators in the college environment tend to focus on messages
relating the negative health consequences of binge drinking (Saltz, 2011). Though this method
has been found to be cost effective and reach a large number of students at relatively low cost, it
has been shown to be relatively ineffective (Mastroleo & Logan, 2014; The APA Practice
Guidelines for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders, 2016).
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 10
Increasingly, research indicates that a multi-level approach to addressing this seemingly
intractable problem provides the most effective outcomes (Salz, 2011). Current interventions
used by communities and educational institutions to address problematic alcohol use in college
students consist of both individual and macro level interventions ("SAMHSA - National Health
Survey,"2015). These interventions have been stratified into four tiers by SAMHSA and the
National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAA] . These interventions are
identified as : Tier 1 - 4 strategies are based on effectiveness in use with different populations
(Saltz, 2004), ("SAMHSA - National Health Survey,"2015). Interventions in Tier 1 have been
rigorously tested evidenced based individual interventions that have been proven to work with
college students, Tier 2 interventions have been studied to be effective on a community level and
in college settings for addressing problem drinking with the general public and with college
students and peer groups (Saltz, 2004). Tier 3 and Tier 4 strategies are those showing promise for
future exploration as interventions with college students and the general public or have proven to
be ineffective altogether (Saltz, 2004). The NIAA has identified Tier 1 interventions (those
provided on an individual level) as most effective and include Brief Alcohol Screening and
Intervention for College Students [BASICS], and Alcohol Skills Training Program [ASTP]
(Saltz, 2004; "Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet," 2015). Both contain strong
educational components including collecting basic information on college students experiences
with alcohol, challenging expectancies of use, motivational interviewing strategies, challenging
and correcting misperceptions through normative feedback, daily monitoring of consumption,
stress reduction/mindfulness, and personalized plans for reducing consumption (Saltz, 2011).
Due to the importance of educational institutions to reach a large number of students
while minimizing cost, several universities have implemented computer and web-based
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 11
interventions to reduce drinking among students considered heavy drinkers (Mastroleo & Logan,
2014; American Council on Science and Health, 2015; (Berman, Gajecki, Fredriksson,
Sinadinovic, & Anderson, 2015). These web based interventions focus on personalized
normative feedback [PNF] (Berman et al., 2015); Chedekel, 2017; American Council on Science
and Health, 2015; (Barnaghi, Wang, Henson, & Taylof, 2016; Berman et al., 2015). Students
input information on personal use and this information is compared to rates of consumption of
other students on campus. The web based intervention then provides personalized suggestions on
how to reduce drinking, the student then chooses to engage in the proposed solution. The results
indicate that students who chose to engage in the suggested PNF plan report significantly less
binge drinking events than those who do not chose to engage in the plan (Berman et al., 2015).
Web-based interventions with personalized feedback have been shown to be effective in
reducing binge drinking patterns and to be cost effective by reaching large numbers of students
with minimal cost to the institution (Chedekel, 2017; American Council on Science and Health,
2015). Environmental strategies comprise the components of the most recent attempts to reduce
binge drinking and the related harms through influencing the environment and changing the
expectations of acceptable behaviors associated with drinking (Community Preventive Services
Task Force, 2015). These strategies include enforcement of nuisance party laws (in college
communities and on campuses), enforcement of underage drinking laws (at private and public
functions), enforcement of laws of the sale of alcohol to underage people, restriction of alcohol
outlet density, increased taxation of alcohol, and responsible beverage service policies in college
communities (Saltz, 2004;Salz, Paschall, McGaffigan, & Nygaard, 2010; Saltz, 2011).
In a study conducted at the University of Rhode Island, based on Robert Saltz “Safer
College Communities” study of 2010, and the 2012 “Common Ground” research project
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 12
included a public media campaign that identified greater enforcement of community and campus
policies on the sale and consumption of alcohol, increased awareness of behaviors related to
alcohol (driving while intoxicated, public nuisance laws), and the negative consequences of
binge drinking on others (impact of others behaviors while impaired on self). Telephone
interviews pre, during, and post, campaign indicated a significant increase in the awareness of
the formal efforts by the college and community to address binge drinking, the perceived
likelihood of apprehension for underage or binge drinking (situational awareness), and perceived
consequences for alcohol impaired driving (situational awareness) (Hoffman, 2015; Endsley,
1995; Nofi, 2002). The results of the one year study indicated student incidents of binge drinking
and all other alcohol related behaviors in the targeted college community decreased by 27%
(Saltz, 2011.
Theories of Change
To impact the social problem in the most effective way and to create the greatest change
in binge drinking among college age students, the innovation must be designed to impact the
individual, family, and community (DeSalvo et al., 2017, Saltz, 2013). The innovation, must also
impact multiple generations and create sustained change across time. Multiple theoretical
approaches will be used to achieve this. Three primary theoretical approaches the public health
model, situational awareness, and harm reduction will be used in the Me&U app to reduce the
harmful effects of the social problem. Aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Rational
Emotive Behavioral Therapy will also be used to impact change in individuals and have a
synergistic effect on the other theories making them more effective and increasing the time in
which the behavior change occurs.
Public Health Model
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 13
The concepts that comprise the public health model focus on creating change in larger
communities versus most traditional healthcare (Center for Disease Control and Prevention
[CDCP], 2017). Originally created to prevent the spread of infectious disease, the model sought
to create change in behaviors among larger groups of people in part by increasing the awareness
of the effects of the behaviors of others on ourselves (DeSalvo et al., 2017). Later this model was
found to be effective for use in mental health and substance use treatment as its concepts move
individuals and groups forward in the change process quickly. The model uses a three pronged
approach to prevention and intervention known as the “agent”, “host”, and, “environment”
(CDCP, 2017; DeSalvo et al., 2017). Threats to public, peer groups, community, family health
require a susceptible host, an infectious/harmful agent, and an environment in which the agent
can spread (DeSalvo et al., 2017). Effective interventions engaged in just one of the three areas
disrupts the process and the disease, norm, or behavior is subverted and eventually extinguished
(DeSalvo et al., 2017). If the environment changes by enacting policies to restrict access to
alcohol within college communities, then behaviors change based on access to the agent.
Situational Awareness
Situational awareness is a relatively new concept that, in theory, states that humans will
immediately change behaviors based on current perceptions of what is happening in their
environment (Hoffman, 2015). The premise is that human behaviors as responses to our
perceptions of elements in our environment, comprehension of the situation, and projection of
future status (Hoffman, 2015). With strong roots in the history of military theory, it hypothesizes
that we are constantly responding to stimulus in our environment and assessing and projecting
how it will affect our current status and future status (Endsley, 1995). Adopted by the Air Force
during the Vietnam and Korean War, components of observe (the opponents current move),
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 14
orient (your thoughts to the present), anticipate (the enemies next move), and act (make your
move based on the anticipated actions of the enemy) (Hoffman, 2015). Increasingly being
adopted as a skill to increase productivity and function among military units and larger
organizational structures to increase functionality, productivity, and accuracy of work (Endsley,
1995). As we increase awareness of dangers in our environment (posed by the actions of others,
objects, places etc.) we change our behaviors in anticipation of the future outcomes to increase
our safety and self-protection and empowerment.
Harm Reduction
The majority of interventions to change binge drinking in college age students over the
past four decades have produced little change (DeSalvo et al., 2017). This is due, in part or
whole, to the lack of intervention options to educate and prevent alcohol misuse among this peer
group ("National Institute of Health ," 2015). In general, most efforts to affect change in drinking
patterns among college students have focused on abstinence only as a means of achieving
optimal outcomes (Binge Drinking in the College Environment, 2008). A harm reduction
approach, that is, to bring drinking patterns down to levels that don’t create immediate and long
term negative consequences for the user (pending there are no adjunct health problems that
would preclude any alcohol use at all) is a new approach to creating change in this harmful
behavior (Agerwala & McCance-Katz, 2015)
Problems of Practice and Solutions/Innovations
Working both at the individual and population health levels, the innovation will reduce
the consequences of alcohol misuse in college users by providing real time updates on the
negative consequences of alcohol use in the user’s environment via a GPS application. The
immediate benefits would include a reduction in vehicle accidents and deaths due to alcohol
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 15
impairment, less absenteeism/higher attendance, fewer verbal, physical, sexual assaults and rape,
less exposure to sexually transmitted disease, lessening of illicit drug use, safer college campuses
and communities (Bernat et al., 2014; Saltz et al., 2010). Longer term benefits to the individual
would be safer drinking patterns that would be maintained throughout adulthood, a reduction in
the myriad of diseases and chronic health conditions associated with binge drinking, higher
quality of life, extended longevity, mitigation of the intergenerational transmission of binge
drinking patterns, and higher productivity in the work place. From a population health
perspective, the long-term benefits to both the individual and population health are safer
roadways and communities, safer families and less family disruption, less inter-personal
violence, less domestic violence, and less trauma to those that are victims of alcohol related
crimes.
The current college student uses their mobile device on average every 90 seconds and it
has become one of their most used college tools (Gajecki, Sinadinovic, & Anderson, 2016).
Currently many electronic apps exist to assist students with meeting assignment deadlines,
communicate with peers and instructors, study efficiently, register for classes, file for financial
aid, and manage most of their college experience (Emanuel, 2017). A majority of college
students consider the price of apps before downloading them, evaluate them to ensure they meet
their specific needs, and seek apps that provide the most functions (Emanuel, 2017).
The Me&U app is designed to fit seamlessly into the current college culture. The
innovation seeks to change college student binge drinking behaviors covertly through use of a
multi-function GPS application. The innovation incorporates current knowledge of effective
interventions including personal normative feedback, education on the negative consequences of
heavy drinking, and real time updates that increase situational awareness of negative alcohol
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 16
related incidents and allows the self-determination and autonomy of the student to create
intrinsic change (Endsley, 1995; Hoffman, 2015). The application, also available to parents,
community members and faculty, acknowledges the need to engage all stakeholders in the
change process. Information from the 2016 Pew Research Center indicates that families want
their children to be safe while attending college, community members want to live in
environments safe from the negative consequences of college student binge drinking, and faculty
members want their campuses to have reputations as safe places to live and learn while attending
college (2016).
Identified by the AASWSW as a critical issue facing society, closing the health gap is an
area in need of bold innovation and the collective actions of social workers today (Fong et al.,
2018). Identified by the AASWW as one of three primary issues impacting the gap in our
collective health, reducing and preventing alcohol misuse and its consequences, has become one
of the most compelling problems in the practice of the social work profession today (Fong et al.,
2018). The advancement of the Me&U application, using current technology, will allow it to
evolve and become increasingly intuitive to the specific needs of the user, increasing
functionality and use. The more functions specific to a user’s needs an application has the more
frequent its use. The successful implementation will have the effect of systemic disruption in a
social norm that has had devastating consequences to individuals, families, and communities.
The innovative looks to the history of change in the use of other substances such as
tobacco to provide vital information on how change in the norms associated with tobacco use
were influenced (Burns, 2013; Cummings & Proctor, 2014). When this knowledge is combined
with education of the negative consequences of alcohol use on personal health and safety, and
increasing awareness of impact of others use on our future wellbeing, we can begin to affect
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 17
change in current behaviors (Cummings & Proctor, 2014). The GPS Application also increases a
sense of personal safety by allowing interpersonal communication within the App, interpersonal
location tracking, direction and location sharing, and live posting to popular multiple social
media sites. Through use of motivational interviewing techniques the innovation allows subtle
change in the users’ alcohol consumption by educating the user on safer drinking limits, issuing
gentle reminders to alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks, and allows the user to
set personalized drink limits, as well as linking to the user’s personal calendar to remind the user
of later scheduled events (Miller & Rollnick, (2013). Much like techniques used to change norms
surrounding tobacco use, the innovation will update the user on the negative consequences of
others alcohol use (reference second hand smoke warnings) while the app alerts the user to real
time updates on alcohol related police interactions, DUI check points, nuisance parties, and
statistical information on alcohol related sexual and physical assaults on campus and in the
community (Burns, 2013). This use of situational awareness, the activation of change in
behaviors based on ones’ perceptions of the negative consequences of threats in the environment,
have been shown to create real and long term change in drinking patterns in among college
students based on Robert Saltz research in environmental approaches to curbing binge drinking
and on Albert Nofi’s research on group responses to shared situational awareness (Nofi, 2002;
Saltz, 2011).
To effectively develop, deploy, and sustain the proposed intervention, there are four key
components that must be present in order to be successful: develop strategies for accurate and
ethical data collection, develop a blueprint for consistent data collection, identify the data and
timeline at which to collect the data, and develop and maintain ethical data collection and
processing standards. An IT staff of two for development, implementation, and updates to the
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 18
app, One DSW candidate/graduate to market, administer/lead campaign and align resources
between users (college/university systems) and developers, DSW/MSW students to assist
administering and collection of pre and post administration data to determine effectiveness, and
funds to develop and update the app, gather supporting data, and market to perspective college
campuses, and funding sources (See Logic Model Appendix 1).
Currently, engineering and development of software is now readily available. Available
for purchase are pre-packaged and customizable programs that provide a myriad of functions
from mass census data computations to creating private and encrypted text services for
immediate use. These conveniences typically come with an exorbitant price and no guarantee
that they won’t quickly become outdated and unusable within the rapidly evolving world of
technology. Therefore the resources needed to develop the Global Positioning Application and
its adjunct features for the proposed innovation don’t necessarily lie in the development but
rather in the necessity of keeping it relevant, up to date, usable, and intuitive to the user. Certain
components of the application will be engineered to keep it continuously intuitive to the user, the
software will contain algorithms that will provide personalized recommendations based on use,
and updates to the app provided by the software engineers become the new baseline for all users,
this creates a continuous loop whereby older versions are discarded and the software evolves
with each new update. This requires live software engineers for support and development.
The innovation is dependent on an advanced Global Positioning Service [GPS]
application to deliver the intervention, therefore development, upgrades, and continuous support
of the engineered device must be provided in the beginning and throughout the project to be
successful. Currently there are alliances established with two stakeholders who have provided
input on the amount on resources needed to accomplish this task. The estimated
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 19
knowledge/workforce provided by both organizations to handle development, and upgrades to an
application for the average college population of between 10,000 to 50,000 students is two
software engineers. Considering the initial release is only to the incoming freshman population,
this will provide time to work through logistics problems with incoming support and
troubleshooting provided by interns. Currently two proposed directions for the development and
support are available, one through an alliance with Google/WAZE and one through continued
individual development with private support. Ideas were submitted through public postings and
several software developer groups have offered free support, specifically the organizations
known as "SHECODES TELAVIV", "JAVALADIES", and "New Relic Future", in the interest
of promoting the grand challenge of reducing and preventing alcohol misuse and its related
consequences specifically among college age populations and reducing the incidence of violence
against women that often occurs in the presence of alcohol use. Both have advantages and
disadvantages. Alliances with a large corporation provide access to highly advanced technology,
support, and drawbacks in their use of user data. Alliances with small groups of software
developers often means working on their timelines and support is not as readily available as
might be needed in the demanding environment of college age users.
The use of MSW/DSW interns to assist with administration and gathering data will
provide an opportunity to explore the research aspect of social work, assist in building clinical
skills, create insight into this population, and assist with reducing costs associated with
development and administration of the application. The interns will also assist with development
of resources to add to the application and through data gathering. This may include asking
questions anonymously via text, email, chat room, utilization of peer supports, being provided
encrypted and secure tele-therapy for better access to care. Interns will also assist in gathering
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 20
pre and post data from community and university systems to help determine the short-term,
intermediate, and long-term outcomes needed to support the effectiveness of the intervention.
The exact screening, assessment tools, and information to be gathered will be determined at a
later date. Utilization of interns keeps costs down but will also increase the students core and
advanced clinical skills, knowledge base, and help contribute to the greater knowledge of social
work. The interns work will count towards intern hours for their MSW degrees cite.
Funding for initial start-up and sustainment will be provided by several sources. The
initial funds will be secured through Google Scholars/Innovators Grant which, if awarded, will
provide substantial monetary funds, access to software developers/engineers, consultation with
legal services, and other support from a large corporate entity that has years of experience in the
field of software development, administration, support, and innovation. Private grants from the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be another source of funds that
support interventions to address binge drinking in college populations. The innovation will be
marketed specifically to the college and university systems and will be customized to each
system with logo and school colors. The Google Innovators Grant and SAMHSA Community
Capacity grant applications have been completed and submitted for approval. A current
consulting contract is in place with Google and the Waze developers and increases the likelihood
of approval for this grant.
The application will eventually become self-sustaining through sales of advertising from
local businesses. The very nature of a GPS application is that it provides directions to businesses
within the communities. College students and their families spend vast quantities of money in
college communities and having a multi-function GPS app will allow access to students, faculty,
and families. Logos of local business will identify their locations on the GPS mapping function,
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 21
when the user places the cursor over the business sign – the business hours and/or services can
be provided, menus, sports events, art opening, and even volunteer opportunities can all be
provided on the application. A large part of the app is its’ event sharing capabilities and its
accessibility to other social media platforms. The additional support and upgrades for the five
years after the initial release will come from advertising fees. During the five year support
period, work will also begin on turning the applications functions over to the universities or the
institutions can sustain the support contracts. Ideally the Information Technology or Bureau of
Business and Economic Relations department of the institutions would assume eventual support
of the app.
The primary motivator for the colleges and universities for purchasing the app at the end
of the trial period is motivated by the data that supports substantial and positive outcomes
achieved in reducing binge drinking in their student populations. The use of the application to
deliver the intervention serves several purposes for the colleges and universities who are often
caught in the middle of student autonomy and being seen as paternalistic – both of which can
affect student enrollment and future support from alumni. The interventions will allow college
drinkers to make changes to current drinking patterns, practice moderate drinking before it
escalates to binge drinking, or reduce drinking to abstinence. The intervention which works on
the premise of the “perceived likelihood of negative future consequences” is powerful and can
manifest as any negative consequence to self, others, objects, or future outcomes (Endsley,
1995). The innovation also elicits the engagement of non-users to support the movement towards
accountability and moderate consumption as their awareness increases at the same rate as their
peers who consume alcohol. Ultimately the less the college or university has to involve itself in
the matter of alcohol consumption habits of their student body while addressing the problem of
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 22
binge drinking could be the best incentive to keep the colleges and universities invested in the
support of the app.
Due to the current and increasing use of electronic applications in current and emerging
college populations, the functionality and intuitiveness of the application, its ability to provide
interventions to a diverse and rapidly changing population with potential to serve the general
public, the proposed innovation will be successful. If effectively developed to the anticipated
standards and launched within the proposed time frame, the chances for success are further
enhanced as each emerging student body enhances the development of the application for the
next prospective college group. In the proposed innovation continuum, the updates to the
application become the current standard so that as each update is released and built upon to
create a continuous intuitive and higher functioning entity. This creates no previous outdated
versions of the application and an evolving entity that continuously seeks to meet the needs of
the user. The more functional the application, the more frequently the user accesses the
application, the more frequently the intervention is provided increasing the likelihood in the
chance of changes in behaviors that will be sustained over time as the interventions are
continuously enforced.
Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components
The methodology in designing the prototype took place in three phases. A concept
sketch, designing of wireframes, and then the development of a virtual prototype (Dyer et al.,
2011) (See Prototype Wire Frames Appendix 2-11). First, prototype development focused on
using a primary online tool that allowed simple cell phone screen frames that simulated what the
screens may look like to provide an initial user experience. Then wireframes were developed,
much like a user map; they provide direction in the function and use of each feature of the
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 23
application to provide a visual view of the flow of user experience. Finally, the creation of the
virtual prototype that simulates the user experience. The development of this final phase was
crucial not only in the development of intuitive produce but also in providing stakeholders a
tangible example of how the application and intervention function.
College enrollment, defined as enrollment in two, four year, and graduate programs was
34.5 million in the United States in 2015 (The Condition of Education, 2019). This represents a
17 percent increase since 2012 (The Condition of Education, 2019). An expanding young adult
population accounts for much of this growth: The number of 18- to 24-year-olds grew from 28.9
million in 2012 to 31.5 million in 2015, and the percentage of this group enrolled in college rose
from 38 percent to 40 percent. A student population that straddles the minimum legal drinking
age makes finding solutions to binge drinking among this population more difficult and increases
the need for sound and comprehensive prevention strategies. Successful substance misuse
prevention efforts on college campuses tend to be visible, to be embraced by top leadership, and
to involve multiple partners and components on and off campus (Binge Drinking in the College
Environment, 2008; Saltz, 2004; Mastroleo & Logan, 2014). Thus, the most successful
interventions also tend to be the most expensive, difficult to sustain, and often are not engaged or
phased out due to cost and challenges with implementation and maintenance (Mastroleo &
Logan, 2014).
Due to the importance of educational institutions to reach a large number of students
while minimizing cost, several universities have implemented computer and web-based
interventions to reduce drinking among students considered heavy drinkers (Mastroleo & Logan,
2014; American Council on Science and Health, 2015; (Berman, Gajecki, Fredriksson,
Sinadinovic, & Anderson, 2015). To ensure that all students receive accurate information about
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 24
the consequences of binge drinking and other high-risk behavior before classes begin, many
colleges and universities now require (or, in some cases, strongly encourage) incoming freshmen
to complete an online training program. Examples of these programs include AlcoholEdu
(http://www.everfi.com/alcoholedu-for-college) and MyStudent Body
(http://www.mystudentbody.com). An evaluation of AlcoholEdu, supported by NIAAA,
concluded that the course reduced alcohol problems among freshmen during the fall semester,
but the effects did not last into spring ("Report on College Drinking/College Fact Sheet," 2015).
The lead evaluator stated that AlcoholEdu is a useful component in a comprehensive prevention
strategy that comprises campus environmental prevention ("Report on College Drinking/College
Fact Sheet," 2015). MyStudentBody, which includes alcohol education in modules that also
address mental health and well-being, was developed through a grant from the National Institutes
of Health, according to the program’s website The average cost of these programs to purchase,
support, and sustain is approximately $98,000 a year (NIH: Report on College Drinking, 2016).
Self-report inventories administered at the completion of each course suggest that 41% of
students believe this intervention will lead them to behave more responsibly with alcohol
(Opape, 2019). No research was conducted to measure actual population health outcomes or
community outcomes.
The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) model was used to
construct the projects method for implementation (Palinkas & Soydan, 2012) (See CFIR ERIC
Model Appendix 12). The CFIR model describes how the innovation will be presented as a total
package to the stakeholders (in this instance the colleges and universities) and is essential as a
means to persuade the stakeholders to adopt this intervention as a means to address a serious
population health issue. The marketing and sales person must have a comprehensive knowledge
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 25
of all key aspects of the innovation from software design to clinical knowledge of why the
innovation works to be able to present, field questions, model use, and sell the idea to the
stakeholders. In order to mitigate the possible barriers that may arise in this area, a blended
implementation strategy must be used. The person hired for the position will have a background
in software development, will have the clinical knowledge needed to understand the
underpinnings of the evidence based interventions being used within the innovation.
In this broad construct, external strategies including policies and regulations (federal,
state, and/or local), collaboratives, public opinion, and external mandates from larger or
governing board can become barriers or assist in implementing the intervention (See CFIR
Model Barriers/Strengths Appendix 12). In the CFIR model external policies and incentives
construct can be a powerful tool to move an investor, client, or customer (again in this case a
college or university) to increase their motivation to adopt and implement an intervention. The
reality of public opinion and reporting in today’s world of high connectivity and social
networking an increase an organizations motivation to implement an intervention, especially if
they are late adopters of a popular or successful intervention. This can sometimes lead to “check
box” implementation which can become a barrier to implementation and maintenance of model
fidelity. In the instance of colleges and universities, national-state-local laws all influence the
sale and consumption of alcohol in their student body population both on and off campus.
Oversight and governing boards, endowment committees, and even legacy students all are
invested in the reputation of the college/university both from a scholarly and recreational
standpoint. The implementation strategy best suited to address this issue may be membership in a
collaborative between educational systems that adds an active component of sharing
implementation and sustainment strategies as well as challenges and failures that will foster more
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 26
successful implementation and maintain model fidelity. Support from the developer of the
intervention (gratis as motivation to stay engaged) could further the motivation to stay engaged
in the intervention and collaborative process.
The network and communications construct in the CFIR model is an amalgam of several
domains from Greenhalgh, et al. and Palinkas and Soydan’s research on organizational structure,
intra-organizational communication, and networks (Greenhalgh, Robert, Macfarlane, Bate, & O,
2004). The connections between individuals within an organization, social capital, quality and
context of relationships, and shared mission and vision are all a part of building social capital
within an organization (Greenhalgh et al., 2004). Complexity theory states that building positive
and supportive relationships between people and creating an environment where people feel safe
to ask questions, fail, and learn can be a primary factor in successful implementation as well as
become a formidable barrier if not achieved (Expert recommendations for implementing change
[ERIC - Implementation Science], 2014). This theory drives the development of the organization
and the organizational environment creating an atmosphere where continued innovation can
thrive. Low turnover vs. high turnover, building a sense of community vs. isolation, shared vs.
insular knowledge building can facilitate or become primary barriers to successful
implementation of an intervention (Greenhalgh et al., 2004). In previous research of
implementation of new interventions, maintenance of model fidelity, strong communication and
knowledge sharing among all strata in the organization, having access to information,
understanding and sharing goals related to the intervention, all have strong influence on the
successful facilitation of an intervention (CFIR - Center for Management Research, 2009; ERIC
- Implementation Science, 2014). The implementation strategy best suited to building and
maintaining rather than creating barriers to facilitation and implementation are blended strategies
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 27
that combine training, focus groups, open door policies, restructuring of organizational roles, and
identify and prepare champions from within the organization (Palinkas & Soydan, 2012).
Identifying individuals who have dedicated themselves to supporting, marketing,
establishing a comprehensive knowledge of the innovation, and have a sincere drive to persevere
and overcome resistance that the innovation may provoke in an organization define the final
process of successful facilitation vs. creating barriers to implementation of an intervention are
known as champions (Maldique, 1980). Champions will risk informal status and reputation and
become opinion leaders actively associating themselves with supporting the innovation during
and after implementation to assure success (Greenhalgh et al., 2008). Front line champions exist
within the organization and often assist in developing coalitions of individuals who strongly
believe in the intervention and are able to articulate their feelings in a way that move others to
embrace the intervention more fully (Glucksman, 2019). An organization must think openly
about empowering these front line champions to create new and innovative ways to increase and
harness support from other members of the organization, garner support from those in authority
(policy influencers etc.) and broaden the base of support for the innovation. Identifying and
supporting champions within an organization can solve or remove barriers to implementation,
inhibit and prevent barriers from evolving, facilitate and sustain interest, support, and maintain
the networks and communications constructs of the CFIR model (Maldique, 1980). Ultimately
champions further support and strengthen the successful facilitation of the innovation.
Specifically within the context of my innovation, identifying and supporting several champions,
both within the organization and within the user population will be key to successful
implementation as well as sustainment.
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 28
The first year of funding will be provided by four primary sources, the Google Innovators
Grant, SAMHSA Block Grant, the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, , and the Claire Dietrich-
Chastain Fund. Based on these funding strategies the organization expects to be provided
$650,000.00 with in-kind support of $250,000 from the Google Innovators Grant. The
SAMHSA has guaranteed funds of $250,000.00 with the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation providing
a matching amount of $250,000.00. The Claire Dietrich-Chastain fund for Women in the
Sciences is providing $250,000.00 and a team of four female software engineer interns and a
mentor from Harvard University.
As a contingency plan, two prospective budgets for the first fiscal years of development
and launch of the intervention electronic application. The first budget was developed using
projected fiscal and adjunct support provided through the Google Innovators Grant (GIG) as the
primary source of funding. The GIG has many benefits including providing accounting,
IT/Software developers, legal/accounting support, space/overhead, and monies to market and
further develop the product as well as to test the outcomes of the intervention by gathering data
from within the application from the users use. The second proposed budget focuses on a decline
of GIG monies and alternative sources of funds coming from private foundations, government
grants, and pre-sale of the application before launch. This would involve a lot of risk taking in
that the launch of the application must be completed on-time or you risk losing credibility and
future income by not meeting your contractual obligations as well as leaving you open to
litigation – which few new companies can afford. Pre-sale would also involve large sums of
money being spent on marketing and sales prior instead of development which is also a
drawback to this approach. Each funding source has its advantages and disadvantages and further
funding and revenue strategies continue to be explored.
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 29
An annual budget cycle for the Me&U app was chosen to provide fiscal year data to show
the company’s profitability based on projections at the beginning of the cycle and actual
performance and will run concurrently with the college or university’s calendar year. This will
assist the organization with coordinating with intern and faculty schedules, meetings with faculty
and community leaders where all can attend, and provide time for the oversight boards of the
organization to approve the annual budgets. A line-item budget will be provided for two cycles,
one for a preliminary data build cycle of six months and a second that will represent the
projected budget for the first operational year of the organization (See Appendix 13).
The primary phases of the intervention consist of 5 milestones, data build, faculty
training, student launch, support and maintenance, and the final evaluation phase. The first
phase, data build, consists of collecting data to support the effectiveness of the intervention will
begin at 6 moths prior to product launch. After the college/university launch site has been
identified, the research associate with the assistance of the DSW/MSW interns, will begin the
data build portion of the research. This staff will compile quantitative data on incidence of
alcohol related DUI arrests, assault, vandalism, underage alcohol sales, and all other alcohol
related crimes. The next phase will include faculty trainings on use and support of the
application. The faculty training phase will include providing faculty a walk-through of the
critical phases of research and data gathering as well as the key features of the application and
the adjunct features to assist them in using the application as a communication tool with their
students. Faculty will be able to post class times and locations, alternate or emergent notices for
classes or campus events, test dates, and other data pertinent to the facilitation of their classes.
These posts are made in real-time so students will have a means of being updated on any planned
or unplanned changes to their posted class times or other information the professor feels is
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 30
relevant as well as campus administrators will be able to provide alerts and real-time updates on
campus activities to the students 24/7. The launch phase will follow with the organizational
champions and the DSW/MSW interns. The staff assist with educating and assisting students in
downloading the application, its use and features, walk-through of privacy policies, and
information on support services. The next phase of support and maintenance will provide the
foundational support to keep the application running smoothly, debugging any software issues,
assurance of appropriate data storage space, identification of client needs, updates to user
agreements, data collection, and analyzing launch data to improve the next launch. Identifying
common problems in the launch as well as in the overall software development to “fail early” if
need be to provide a solid and reliable software application that is dependable and highly
intuitive to user needs. The final evaluation phase will be completed at the end of the first and
second year after initial launch and will include collecting qualitative and quantitative data from
staff on sustain/improve procedures internally and information collected from the application on
the user usage as well as community and campus data on the incidence of alcohol related crimes.
The data will be compiled and analyzed to be reviewed by the entire organization to discuss
implementation of improvements, celebrate success, and solidify procedures that are working
well for the organization.
Formative evaluation techniques will be used to developmentally evaluate a pre-
implementation plan of the proposed intervention. To enhance the likelihood of successful
implementation a diagnostic evaluation of current and previous interventions has been
conducted. The previous research studies and data collected by Robert Saltz Ph.D. in his Safer
Universities research (2010), research data conducted on the effectiveness of mobile and
electronic applications as interventions for substance use and behavioral health treatment, current
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 31
best practices in substance use and behavioral health treatment among college students, data on
the current interventions being practiced by colleges and universities to address problematic
alcohol consumptions among college students has been collected to provide not only base line
data on the effectiveness of these interventions but to help identify potential barriers to practice
change and implementation of the strategy in the college setting (Salz et al., 2010). Learning
from others achievements and failures is a most valuable tool. Looking at the history as well as
current practices during the formative evaluation stage will also provide key data in evaluating
the strategy feasibility of implementing my innovation.
Quantitative data collected prior to implementation for later comparative analysis will
include specific statistical information gathered from state and local police reports from one year
and again at four months prior (easily collected from public sources) on the incidence of alcohol
related crimes from both college communities and college campuses. This will include number
of alcohol related traffic arrests, nuisance party violations, public intoxication arrests, and any
arrests or violations that were influenced by alcohol such as physical and sexual assaults
(including rape and other assaultive behaviors) from both the communities in which the colleges
and universities exist as well as incident reports from within the college and university
campuses. Prior to implementation self-report inventories and evidence based screening tools
including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT; See Appendix 14) will be
provided to three control groups, each consisting of mixed student body populations (ages,
genders, and ethnicities) the number of students of each group will be determined by equaling
one third of one third of the incoming freshman student enrollment numbers (Babor, Higgins-
Biddle, Saunders, & Monteiro, 2001; Lima et al., 2005). The application/intervention will be
provided/excluded to specific students at orientation. Each group will be provided the same data
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 32
instruments prior to implementation, and at four month intervals (to coincide with college
semesters) during the implementation and use of the proposed intervention for the first year (data
will also be collected on the influence of use of the application from users on non-users.) The
proposed intervention will be provided to the first group with all of the intervention features
available, the second group will be provided the intervention application with the push
notifications feature disabled, and the third group will not have access to the application
intervention. The same self-report inventories and evidenced based screening tools will be
provided to the groups in the same manner as prior to the administration of the application
(anonymously via email or other means) in addition, the first two groups will also have data
collected from their use of the application itself (drink tracker functions etc.) to compare
accuracy to the data collected from the self-report inventories.
Throughout the first year of implementation data will be collected from law enforcement
agencies and college communities on the incidence of alcohol related crimes both on and off
campus and compared at four month intervals. Self-report data collected from students
throughout the research will be compiled. Regression analysis will be used to compare the scores
to determine the effectiveness of the overall intervention vs. intervention without push
notifications (which will measure the effectiveness of situational awareness as an intervention for
creating change in drinking patterns for future use as an intervention tool) and then quantitative
data compared to information collected from the within application will be compared to self-
report inventories to measure accuracy of self-report vs. automatic data collection.
Comparative and regression analysis will be used to measure the effectiveness of the
intervention in reducing both alcohol related crime on campus and in the college community and
stasis/reduction/increase in alcohol misuse among the student body. Formative evaluation will
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 33
use information taken from the effectiveness of previous interventions used on college campuses
to compare the effectiveness of this intervention with the previous interventions used to
determine if continued research is justified to determine the success of the intervention in
disrupting the social norms associated with binge drinking among college students.
Communication products are key strategies to creating a positive impact on the initial
two primary target audiences. Colleges and university faculty and staff, college students ages 17-
24, their families, and college community members are the current focus of marketing and
communication tools (Pew Research Center: Social & Demographic Trends, 2018).A Direct
marketing to relevant players, establishing partnerships with electronic media and social
networking sites, and creation of new social movements will be used to create and sustain
interest in the innovation and build support from those that use alcohol and illicit support from
non-users as well. According to the most recent research from the Pew Research Center on
Internet and Technology use, 90% of internet using young adults ages 18-29 are on social media
(2018). Social Media is the new frontier in which the alcohol industry is competing with
colleges and universities are competing to influence their alcohol consumption habits (Pew
Research Center: Social & Demographic Trends, 2018). In consideration of the data from the
Pew Research the most influential and most accessed social media sites for this demographic are
YouTube (at 79%), Facebook (at 69%) and Instagram (38%)(Pew Research Center: Social &
Demographic Trends, 2018). An effective social media campaign would involve at least the top
two players by utilizing these sites and by eliciting support from people like Tallulah Willis,
Slick Woods, and Justin Combs (Boston University School of Public Health, 2015). These
individuals have tremendous followings on YouTube and Facebook and are known for their
support of social media campaigns against bullying, gender stereotypes, and date rape. Though
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 34
they all have connections to other famous people as siblings or children of famous actors, they
have gathered supporters from their own experiences with the issues they support. Bringing these
individuals on-board to support the app would increase its initial and possible long term use
(Boston University School of Public Health, 2015).
Formative research has identified three primary areas important to colleges and
universities in addressing alcohol misuse in its student body; cost of initiating and sustaining,
easily accessible to large numbers of students, and effectiveness (Harvard T.H.Chan School of
Public Health, 2008). As identified in the CFIR model, innovation superusers will be responsible
for direct marketing campaigns to colleges and universities (CFIR Research Team-Center for
Clinical Management Research [CFIR - Center for Management Research], 2009). Focus will be
placed on fiscal benefits, the potential for unlimited user’s, and outcomes of the intervention.
Emphasis will also be placed on the sustainability and potential profit through sales of
advertising to community businesses through the GPS function of the application. Partnerships
with SAMHSA and Google will be utilized and these benefactors will have permissions to
publish data, promote, and engage potential users. Colleges and Universities will want to appeal
not only to students but to the parents and other family members of students. Families want their
children to be safe while attending college and as one of the primary benefits of this innovation
in increased safety through inter-personal accountability, this function will be highly promoted
through SAHMSA campaign against alcohol related crimes held in January of each year
("SAMHSA - National Health Survey," 2018) .
Identification of interest in social change became the primary influencer in shaping the
context of the Me&U communications project strategies directed at college age students ("Pew
Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018) Apparent was that effective messaging to
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 35
users would have to take the form of a social movement campaign. Identified as primary topics
of importance with this age range included LGBTQ rights, sexual assault and violent crime,
bullying, and drug and alcohol abuse ("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology,"
2018).
The innovation developers will partner with social media platforms including Instagram,
Snapchat, and websites such as Buzzfeed, and collaborate with social influencers on YouTube.
Directing messages on social media platforms will play on topics identified to be important to
college age students including the premature aging effects of binge drinking, negative effects of
others binge drinking on friends and family, and the increased incidence of physical, verbal,
sexual, and hate crimes with binge drinking ("Pew Research Center for Internet and
Technology," 2018). Using a rejection analogy where persons drinking excessively are shown
engaged in violent and assaultive or otherwise socially unacceptable behaviors, compare/contrast
what binge drinkers look like as they age, a 30 second or less video media campaign will be
launched entitled, “No More Than 4” that provides a safer drinking message in its title and will
establish a new social movement that aligns with the Me&U applications primary functions
("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018). Collaborations with social media
channels such as Buzzfeed will allow the innovation to borrow equity from these media partners
and expand further into this youth culture and create greater appeal for colleges and universities
as well. These collaborations will be established by leveraging the relationships the Me&U app
has with colleges and universities using the app and the ability to capture young users brand
loyalty by this collaboration. While these sites and influencers support the use of the app, both
the Me&U app and the social media sites and influencers gain new users through this circular
support process. The primary challenges lie in the reputation of the social influencers and social
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 36
media sites as well as the issues, campaigns, and products they support. If the reputation of one is
damaged it has a domino effect on the credibility and reputation of the others.
As a whole, the innovation has considered the multi-faceted and seemingly intractable
problem of reducing and preventing alcohol misuse and its consequences in every aspect if its
design. Identified as the primary barriers to delivery of effective interventions for alcohol misuse
among college age students, engagement, sustained interest and use, ability to reach large
numbers of people, cost, reliability, and the ability to achieve effective long term outcomes, the
Me&U app has approached each area with special consideration to the population served.
Formative research has identified and directed development to include the integration of
other social media and social influence sites within the innovation to create and sustain
engagement ("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018; Emanuel, 2017). Many
iterations of the software and extensive de-bugging have provided a highly reliable product that
incorporates user to user encryption to maintain privacy and confidentiality. Regular data
collection that coincides with college academic calendars (by semester) will provide colleges and
universities and communities with routine data on the effectiveness of the intervention.
Continued data collection from users after they leave the college environment will be used to
further sustain the longitudinal effectiveness of the innovation.
The innovation project has carefully considered ethical issues relevant to the use of
electronic applications as well as any possible unintended or negative consequences that may
arise from its use. Research was engaged into the previous failures of applications used to
address social issues, as well as reviewing the ethical standards of educational institutions,
providers of medical and mental health and substance use services, and formative research into
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 37
what privacy and security features are important to college age students (Berman et al., 2015’
“Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018).
The primary failure of previous applications used to address physical or mental health or
substance use issues was the ability to gather and store the data securely ("Pew Research Center
for Internet and Technology," 2018). No software can claim to be 100% secure, but
organizations have an obligation to record informed consent from the user to gather information
but also to store the information in a way that protects the user if the information is every
compromised ("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018). The innovation has
many features including providing each educational institution and user with full disclosure on
data gathering, how the data will be used, for what purpose it will be used, and how the
information will be stored. The innovation agency will emphasize the user’s privacy as the
number one priority at all time. Three cycle encryption for storage, user to user encryption within
the application, separation of unique user information from data, and other safety features are
incorporated into the software and organizational plan of the Me&U app (Lee et al., 2019). These
standards are in line with health care, social work and other licensed behavioral health
professionals, and educational standards for data collection and handling of substance use and
other health and personal information (AAMFT Treatment Practices for Substance Use
Disorders, 2019; (APA, 2017) Code of Ethics and Best Practice Guidelines for Clients with
Substance Use Disorders, 2019; Social work standards for clients with substance use disorders,
2014).
Possible unintended consequences of using the innovation were explored. Again product
history was studied and a Google systems algorithm was used to identify and mitigate possible
negative outcomes (Lee et al., 2019). Identified by the algorithm was misuse of the friend
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 38
tracker function for stalking or other covert information gathering (Lee et al., 2019). To mitigate
this high level user to user encryption software were incorporated into the systems design (Lee et
al., 2019; "Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018). The innovation also
prompts people if access to the tracker is left open for longer than user pre-set time limits.
Encryption and creation of a unique user identifier each time the app is accessed, also mitigates
the concerns of college students that their colleges or families may be informed of their underage
or binge drinking habits. The innovations software is continuously monitored for breaches
through support contracts with each institutions and as a regular function of the organizational
model itself (Lee et al., 2019).
Conclusions actions and implications
The Me&U app hopes to continue to grow, and sustain the growth that it needs, through a
set of strategies to build a solid and independent financial foundation, guide its program
development, and prepare for future challenges. Building on the innovation’s current strengths
and weaknesses, the organizational strategic plan will use the existing model to develop a plan
for the future that will incorporate development of future goals and objectives, desired outcomes,
and timelines, budgets, and metrics for measuring progress built on the amalgam of information
gathered from the first two to three years after launch. For consideration will be the impact of the
innovation on all of the stakeholders. The implications for the practice of social work, the impact
on reducing and preventing alcohol misuse and its consequences, the population health and
safety of college students, as well as the integration of the college faculty and communities, will
all inform the strategic plan for the future of the innovation.
The value of the strategic plan will also allow the stakeholders in the innovation
organization to opportunity to learn more about the organization, to share perceptions of
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 39
strengths and weaknesses, and to discuss critical issues that are affecting or likely to affect the
organization in the future. This will allow distribution of ownership of the plan among key
stakeholders creating buy in and ensuring that they believe in the innovation organizations future
and are committed to achieving it.
Rapidly, western culture is moving towards a more technologically integrated society
("Pew Research Center for Internet and Technology," 2018). The projected outcomes of the
innovation will have a substantial impact on the future of the delivery of services within the
broad scope of social work practices. To consider are the innovations effects on the direct
delivery of services, to macro level social work policy and ethics considerations in the areas of
client privacy, social work ethics in data collection, and ethical use of data in research, and
alliances of social works professionals with large corporate entities and other organizations and
government bodies. These are areas social work has typically not considered itself a major
player.
To consider in the delivery of social work services is that the innovation proves we do not
have to present in order for an intervention to be effective. The rapidly evolving state of the
innovation and its delivery of the intervention through increasing awareness of the negative
effects of our actions on our current and future selves contains components of evidences based
interventions that were typically delivered face to face during individual sessions. The
innovation proves the effectiveness of a non-traditional means of applying and intervention that
can reach a large number of individuals. The innovation speaks to yet another means of
customizing interventions to meet the needs of the specific population using traditional social
work skills of education and early intervention in a new and innovative way.
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 40
On a macro level, the innovation also pushes the social work profession to consider our
place in the fields of technology development, policy, and ethics both within the profession and
within the context of information technology as a whole. The profession has the broad skills and
knowledge base in complex human relationships and needs to assist in developing effective
technology that is accessible to a broader group of users, discover and eliminate barriers to use,
considerations that current technology developers often take for granted cite. The innovation will
also prove the need for social workers in the development of policy on a national, state, and local
level. As the profession integrates knowledge and skills as collaborators in the development of
technology for social good and closing the health gap we add our skills to develop effective
legislation that secures the rites of the user’s autonomy, privacy, and self-determination (Fong et
al., 2018).
There are, however, ethical, legal, technical, and practice considerations to continuously
be aware of with use of this innovation. The use of an electronic application in the delivery of an
intervention brings with it many challenges that few in the profession feel they can address due
to the complexities of data collection, client privacy, secure storage, and client rights in an age of
data mining, hacking, and mass stealth stealing of personal protected information cite. The
answer is to align with organizations that have the technology in place to securely collect and
store client information and that these alliances fall within our ethical standards of practice.
Though no software is 100% safe from hacking, there are many provisions take to protect client
information on many levels. The innovation uses three levels of security in that it separates the
user’s personal information from the data by creating a unique user ID for each person, end to
end encryption between users and between the application and host, and several fire wall and
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 41
back up security systems that store information on drives that are disconnected from internet
sources at regular intervals.
Though the innovation itself continues to be prepared for launch, the prototype, its
concepts and ideas can be immediately shared with collogues, colleges, universities and the
general public. Short, 30 second or less, public service videos can be shared on social media sites
to increase awareness and interest and direct people to a website to further explore the prototype.
Presentations have been developed and infographics and literature for social work, sociology,
and other conventions and continuing education events, virtual notebooks of information have
been created and can be downloaded for free on the Me&U website and available in person or in
virtual settings. Other sites like LinkedIn allow posting of presentation materials and can increase
awareness of social workers place in the development of health technology by recruiters.
In conclusion, there is a three phase plan for moving forward with the innovation that
includes final development and launch, direct marketing, and enhancing relationships
collaborations. The final process of development is an ongoing process that is reaching its final
stages as test users have engaged the use of the innovation for three months providing continuous
feedback to the developers to assist with removing any design flaws. Direct marketing to
potential college campuses continues as the innovation portfolio is completed and pushed to all
stakeholders and influencers that may have an impact on college and universities as future
adopters of the innovation. Email, direct mail, direct pitch, YouTube, Facebook, and other social
media and direct media platforms are being used to start dialogue and create a buzz around this
new application that is the new “bestie for your college experience.” Finally, continued
enhancement of relationships with collaborators and financial reports, prototypes, and feedback
from test-users are provided to the collaborators. Current collaborators are invited to become part
CAPSTONE PROJECT PAPER AND PROTOTYPE 42
of the “buzz” as social media campaigns are developed and launched and social influencers and
users are invited to share their “real” experiences with alcohol use during their college years and
the short form video is launched.

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 43
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eng.pdf?ua=1

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 51
Appendix 1:
Logic Model For Proposed Innovation

INPUTS OR
ACTIVITIES

OUTPUTS

SHORT-
TERM
INTERMEDIA
TE
LONG-
TERM

RESOURCES

OUTCOMES

OUTCOMES
OUTCOM
ES
Initial release
will be to one
college or
university
freshman peer
group (of
approximately
1500 students).

I.T. staff of two
for
development,
de-bugging,
support,
maintenance,
updating and
future
development.
Possible use of
“JavaLadies”
all female
software
developer who
offered to
provide free
services due to
the nature of
the project.

Google
Innovation
Grant
application.

One staff for
research and
development to
identify college
campus in

Consent to
collect and use
data obtained
from users
(administered by
Interns or
through
electronic
application user
agreement within
the application).

The application
is custom
tailored to the
specific
university
including adding
logos,
background
colors, updating
the mapping
application to
the specific
college
community,
administrative
rights are
assigned, and the
app is synced
with local police
blotters.

The application
is introduced to
the college
faculty who are
the first users to
The app is
downloaded by
50% incoming
freshman
(minimum of 750
students) and
information on
features is
provided during
orientation.

50% (goal of 300
parents or
supportive family
members) of
Parents are
provided the
application as
well due to the
location
sharing/tracking
features.

50% of Student
peer group begin
to use the
application
during their
freshman year to
find classes, meet
ups with friends,
parties, and local
places of
interest. As the
app becomes
more intuitive to
their specific
patterns of use,
their use
50% student
drinkers
(approximately
750) increase
their awareness
of the negative
consequences for
personal heavy
alcohol use and
the heavy
alcohol use of
others through
information
provided by use
of the
application
based on their
perceived
negative
consequences of
impairment.
(administration
of AUDIT and
application data
collected)

50% students
increase their
awareness of the
efforts of the
college and
community in
addressing the
problems
associated with
heavy alcohol
use.

College students
make better
informed choices
about how much
they drink based
on the perceived
negative
consequences to
themselves.

College
campuses and
communities
experience less
alcohol related
accident, injury,
assault, and
crime with a
resulting
increase in
overall safety
and
satisfaction(data
collection from
community/camp
us and internally
from application
use).

Student
population health
– both physical
and mental,
experiences a
positive
correlation
directly related
to the choice’s
students make in
Adult drinking
patterns fall
within safer
guidelines due
to patterns of
consumption
established in
college
(administratio
n of AUDIT at
6 years post
use).

It is no longer
a commonly
held belief
that everyone
should binge
drink in
college as part
of the
experience of
attending
university
(opinion polls,
and data
collection on
the incidence
of alcohol
related crimes
on college
campuses and
communities).

Many of the
chronic
diseases
associated
with long-term
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 52
most need of
intervention
based on
number of
alcohol related
incidents on
campus and in
community.
Also will serve
as grant writer
and researcher
for future
funding
sources.

DSW/MSW (5-
8)students to
assist with
administration
and data
collection of
pre/post
surveys and
statistical
information.

Two
Champions to
oversee and
provide
supervision to
DSW/MSW
students,
implement,
support and
administer
assessments,
support
students, and
pitch/sell to
colleges and
universities

Three
administrative
staff for staff
engage with it.
Each faculty
member has the
administrative
rights to update
class times,
communicate
with students,
post grades, and
a host of other
functions within
the application
to improve the
experiences of
the students
attending the
college.

College specific
amenities are
added to the
applications
functions and
after the initial
consultation and
set-up the
applications
management is
turned over the
college/universit
y.

Updates and
support are
provided through
contracting with
the host company
(me) and are
mandatory for
the first five
years.

Implementation
strategies have
been identified.

increases as does
the delivery of
the interventions.

Due to friend
and other
communication
features, the
number of users
increases as
dependency on
the ability to
communicate in
real-time and
share location
and resources
increases.

Screening tools
and data
collection is
purposeful,
privacy is
maintained, and
data is relevant to
outcome process
and effectiveness.

Blueprint for data
collection is
established for
continuity in other
launch sites.

Evaluation and
feedback,
implementation of
change, and
user/staff surveys
are compiled,
evaluated, and
change is
implemented.
50% ( students’
normative
expectations of
the alcohol use of
self and others
are clearly
outlined.

Students
experience
improved role
function
resulting in
better grades
(assessed by data
collection of
cumulative
GPA).

75% (175)
Parents increase
their sense of
safety with child
being away at
college.

50% Non-alcohol
consuming peers,
better informed
about the negative
consequences of
alcohol use now
support friends
who chose to
drink less or
abstain.

Staff strengthens
in the strategies
needed for
successful
implementation
and maintenance
of the innovation.

drinking les
(collected by self-
report inventory
within
application).

Behaviors that
were once
deemed
acceptable from
heavy drinkers
are now
increasing
becoming
socially
stigmatized(colle
cted by student
opinion polls and
self-report
inventory within
application and
community and
campus incidents
of alcohol related
crimes).

Staff procedures
are established
and maintained
with open
communication
and space
created for
openness to
change
procedures if
needed.

heavy alcohol
use become
more
uncommon in
the aging
process(WHO
global health
data research
on the
incidence of
alcohol
related death
and disease).

Each
successive
group of
DSW/MSW
interns are
trained
consistently
and build
strengths in
administering
evaluation
tools and data
collection.

The
innovation is
proven to be
successful in
reducing the
negative
consequences
of alcohol
misuse by
consistently
positive
outcomes from
accurate data
collection and
successful
implementatio
n of the
innovation on
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 53
oversight, data
compilation,
and various
tasks

Pre-launch data
is collected from
campus and
college
communities.

Trainings and
blueprints for
administration of
application have
been provided.
Roles are
established and
glossary of terms
has been
developed.
Fidelity of data
collection and
launch strategies
are maintained.

Processes are
continuously
evaluated and
updated to further
improve
implementation
and outcomes.
American
college
campuses.

International
implementatio
n of the
innovation is
being
developed.

Initial release will
be gratis in
exchange for data
collection on
effectiveness of
intervention.

Coordination with
local law
enforcement and
policy makers
utilizing campus
community
outreach boards.

Trainings are
provided to staff
and faculty for
continuity and
buy-in to support
successful
implementation
and
administration of
the intervention.

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 54
Appendix 2: The App is customized to each College/University – the “U” in “Me&U” could stand-
alone or customized/ branded as Me&USC or Me&UF etc. – the background colors and
college/university logo will be on each screen.

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 55

Appendix 3: After the initial Title Screen – you are prompted to Sign in or Sign Up

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 56
Appendix 4: On the first page the primary GPS functions are available, you can link the GPS
function to the contacts on your cell phone or create your own contacts list and specialized groups.
Location sharing with individuals and groups, maps, pins and other coordinates can be shared
including current location and tracking can be done from this page. You can allow someone to
track your travel or all entire groups of people to share locations at one time from this page.
Estimates on travel time for walking, driving, biking, and even skateboarding can be provided
from this page. Local business can advertise here and instant messaging to individuals and groups
can also be done from this page. Links to other social media sites can be enabled in settings
allowing real time updates to be posted to any of your social media sites or to post to your Me&U
app from other sites.
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 57
Appendix 5:From this screen you see the share your location and travel directions function
including creating a list of frequently traveled places for ease of use. The share icon is noted at the
two friends in the lower left hand corner.

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 58

Appendix 6: From this page you can:
• link your academic and/or
personal calendar
• track your drinking by
taking a photo of your
drinks
• Set Alarms and Push
Notifications for a variety
of functions – certain push
notifications are automatic
and cannot be disabled
Other Functions within tabs:
• Pre-set your drinking limits
or set it to safer drinking
standards as default and be
alerted when you near or
reach your limits
• Set push notifications to
suggest you alternate
alcohol beverages with
water or other alternate
beverages
• alert you to alcohol related
crime, DUI check points,
nuisance party alerts, and
ID checks in your area.
• as your academic or
personal appointments
occur, push notifications
remind you about
upcoming tests (Ex: “Don’t
forget you have a test
tomorrow in chemistry at
0800AM)
• due dates for assignments
• to get enough rest/self-care
(self-care alerts will notify
you of yoga/meditation and
other resources on campus)
• not to drink and drive, not
to ride with someone who
is drinking,
• suggest or provide a direct
link to Uber/Lyft or Pink
Cab
• call a friend
• or a direct link to
emergency services

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 59

Appendix 7: The “+” tab on drink
tracker screen has link to campus and
community resources for mental health,
health, and substance use services,
screening tools for substance use and
mental health, and links to private chat
support groups and resources for sexual
assault
• This page provides a visual of
three of the primary
functions:
• linking to your contacts
• creating a new contact list
• sharing your location
• Input a new location
• sharing directions between
two locations with groups or
individuals
The messaging service allows:
• group or individual texting
• live updates and sharing from
other social media posts like
FB or Instagram
Map feature allow groups or individuals
to post messages or emojis about local
businesses – including alerts to unsafe
environments, rowdy parties, DUI
checkpoints, and police movement.

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 60
Appendix 8:
CFIR/ERIC STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTATION
AIMS Stage Input Task Output
Aim 1: Plan
Strategies to
create a
Blueprint
for pre-
launch data
collection
Stage 1: Refine
compilation and
implementation
of multi-faceted
implementation
strategies
(training and
technical
support);
Develop formal
implementation
glossary;
Conduct
educational
meetings
Training on
collecting
community
and campus
data incidence
of alcohol
related
incidence of
crime/alcohol
use. Capture
and share
local
knowledge
Provide
education/training
to staff and MSW
interns on
appropriate data
collection and
compilation and
facilitate
collection of
community and
campus data.
Consensus on
key concepts of
what data is to
be collected and
how it is to be
compiled, how
it is to be used,
and methods of
formulating
outcomes.
Aim 2:
Strategies
for ethical
data
collection;
Population
data
collection;
administer
screeners
Stage 2:
Continued use
of multi-
faceted
implementation
strategies
(training and
technical
support)
Centralize
technical
support,
Develop formal
implementation
blueprint;
conduct
educational
meetings
Appropriate
disclosure and
consent to
users,
administer
self-report
and EBI
screeners
(AUDIT);
Launch of
intervention,
maintenance
of model
fidelity,
ethical data
gathering
Provide in-depth
training to MSW
interns on legal
importance of
consent, ethic,
appropriate
administration of
tools, support for
students pre/post
administration of
screening tools;
appropriate data
collection;
privacy –
overseen by
Champion
Consensus on
key concepts by
MSW interns
administering
self-report and
EBI screening
tools (AUDIT);
fidelity of
administration
and collection of
data, high
regard for
maintenance of
privacy and
safety of
population and
interventions for
positive screens
or those
requesting
immediate help
Aim 3:
Collect first
user data at
month six
Stage 3: Multi-
faceted strategy
for data
collection and
compilation;
Training on
collecting
community
and campus
data incidence
of alcohol
Provide training,
education, and
technical
assistance from
multiple
departments (IT,
Information/data
is collected
appropriately,
ethically, and
accurately from
multiple
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 61
related
incidence of
crime/alcohol
use using
community,
campus, and
application
data.
Technical
assistance in
data
collection
from user
information
within
electronic
application.
Collect six
month data.
Champion,
Administration)
Conduct
regression
analysis using
data collected
from all sources.
sources,
delivered
securely,
privacy and
anonymity are
maintained, data
is processed
Aim 4:
Collect user
data at year
one
Stage 3: Multi-
faceted strategy
for data
collection and
compilation
Continue
collecting
community
and campus
data incidence
of alcohol
related
incidence of
crime/alcohol
use using
community,
campus, and
application
data. Collect
12 month
data.
Provide training,
education, and
technical
assistance from
multiple
departments (IT,
Champion,
Administration)
Conduct
regression
analysis using
data collected
from all sources.
Information/data
is collected
appropriately,
ethically, and
accurately from
multiple
sources,
delivered
securely,
privacy and
anonymity are
maintained, data
is processed
Aim 5:
Process
evaluation
for fidelity
of model,
privacy,
feasibility,
Consensus
meeting
Phase 4:
Multi-faceted
strategy for
process
evaluation, data
collection:
obtain use of
user feedback
and staff
feedback,
feasibility;
Facilitated
discussion,
feedback,
intern poll,
Champion
reporting,
outcomes
assessed and
data shared,
multi-
departmental
Provide each
department
administration
time to collect
data, formulate
individual
department
reports, discuss
with teams’
expectations of
meeting, provide
Reporting on
sustain/improve
from all
departments
including
Champion
reporting, MSW
interns, IT,
administration,
user data, user
opinions and
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 62
Purposefully re-
examine
implementation;
Conduct
educational
meetings for
corrective or
sustainment of
implementation
reporting on
success and
challenges
anonymous staff
polls, and
schedule meeting
satisfaction
surveys; discuss
outcomes of
research and
way forward,
discuss changes
to data
collection and
implementation

TABLE: CFIR MODEL of Implementation

• Design Quality and Packaging
• Barrier: Poor quality product, badly presented, poorly packaged and
presented by under-prepared marketer/sales
• Facilitator: Highly informed, motivated, marketer with comprehensive
clinical and software knowledge
Innovation Charcteristics
• External Policies and Incentives
• Barrier: Negative Public Opinion, National-State-Local Policy
Changes, Governing Boards, Corporate Interests
• Facilitator: College/University Collaboratives; Support from the
developer and financial/technical incentives from the intervention
provider
Outter Settings
• Networks and Communications
• Barrier: Poor communication, top-down politics, information
hoarding, fear of failure, high work force turnover
• Facilitator: Shared mission and vision, chesive work-force, longevity
of work force
Inner Settings
• Champions
• Barrier: No produet champion, un-educated work force, un-educated
sales and support, no-one with a comprehensive product knowledge,
no staff who believe in the goal or share the mission
• Facilitator: Person/people with comprehensive knowledge of the
working of the innovation, willing to stick with the product through
implementation and sustainment, will support product even through
challenges
Process
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 63

Appendix 13
BUDGET : Preliminary 6 month Me&U Navigation Application
(Start -Up))

Revenue
Contributions 50 Local Donors: 1
Foundation Grants 350 Governors Institute: 50
Gov’t Contracts 250

Total Revenue: 650

Expenses
Personnel Expenses
Management: 173.5 CEO(62.5), SE(1/53, 1/80)
Clinicians: 130 2 Full @ (32.5)
Outreach Staff: 0
Op’s Staff: 132 2 Full @(16.5), 1 @ (21)
Sub-Total
Benefits @30% of salaries: 130.65
Total Personnel: 560.65

Operating Exp
Rent 30 $5k/mo.
Technology 65 Tech Pkg. (65)
Matl’s and Supplies19.5 $650 mo.
Travel/Promotions 11 $1,830 mo.

Total Op’s 125.5

Total Expenses: 686.15
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 64

Deficit 44.5 Contingency/Reserve: 0

Appendix 2

BUDGET : Year 1 Me&U Navigation Application

Revenue
Contributions 75 Local Donors: 2
Foundation Grants 750` Ruritan/Rotary: 25
Gov’t Contracts 900 Junior League: 50

Total Revenue: 1725

Expenses
Personnel Expenses
Management: 347 CEO(125), SE(1/106,
1/116)
Clinicians: 130 2 Full @ (65)
Outreach Staff: 0
Op’s Staff: 132 2 Full @(33), 1 @ (42)
Sub-Total
Benefits @30% of salaries: 175.5
Total Personnel: 760.5

Operating Exp
Rent 60 $5k/mo.
Technology 100 Tech Pkg. (100)
Matl’s and Supplies 78 $650 mo.
Travel/Promotions 22 $1,830 mo.
Legal Retainer 10

Total Op’s 270

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 65
Total Expenses: 1030.5

Surplus/Deficit 694.5 Contingency/Reserve: 694.5

CAPSTONE PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT 66
Appendix 14
AUDIT

Questions
Scoring system
Your
score
0 1 2 3 4
How often do you have a drink
containing alcohol?
Never
Monthly
or less
2 - 4
times
per
month
2 - 3
times
per
week
4+
times
per
week

How many units of alcohol do
you drink on a typical day when
you are drinking?
1 -2 3 - 4 5 - 6 7 - 9 10+
How often have you had 6 or more
units if female, or 8 or more if male,
on a single occasion in the last year?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

How often during the last year have
you found that you were not able to
stop drinking once you had started?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

How often during the last year have
you failed to do what was normally
expected from you because of your
drinking?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

How often during the last year have
you needed an alcoholic drink in the
morning to get yourself going after a
heavy drinking session?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

How often during the last year have
you had a feeling of guilt or remorse
after drinking?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

How often during the last year have
you been unable to remember what
happened the night before because
you had been drinking?
Never
Less
than
monthly
Monthly Weekly
Daily
or
almost
daily

Have you or somebody else been
injured as a result of your drinking?
No
Yes,
but not
in the
last
year

Yes,
during
the
last
year

Has a relative or friend, doctor or
other health worker been concerned
about your drinking or suggested that
you cut down?
No
Yes,
but not
in the
last
year

Yes,
during
the
last
year

Scoring: 0 – 7 Lower risk, 8 – 15 Increasing risk,
16 – 19 Higher risk, 20+ Possible dependence

SCORE

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Binge drinking at college is often encouraged through the “party culture” pervasive at many colleges and universities. Often assumed as a normal part of the college experience, what often goes unrealized are that the consequences of the binge-drinking college student reach far beyond the individual and to the entire student body, milieu and learning experience of college, and also the communities in which the colleges and universities exist. Responsible for 90% of sexual assaults, vandalism, sexually transmitted diseases, other illicit substance use, as well as later long term substance use disorders, binge drinking on college campuses is an increasing American problem. The innovation proposed delivers both direct and indirect interventions via a GPS application that seeks to educate students on the adverse health effects of excessive alcohol use, increase the situational awareness of the student by providing real-time updates on alcohol-related incidents in the immediate environment, and informs them of the policies and laws that govern alcohol misuse on campus and in the communities in which they live. The multi-function App allows event sharing between friends, drink tracking, moderate drinking reminders, texting, social media posting, updates on police activity involving alcohol in the user’s immediate area, campus rideshare, mental health, and substance use resources, bus schedules, event times at local venues, and a host of other functions that increase the user’s awareness of their own alcohol use and the impact of the alcohol use of others on themselves. Each application is designed to be customized to the College or University in which it will be administered. It will be supported by advertising from local businesses and becomes more intuitive to the user with each use. Ultimately bringing drinking down to moderate levels and reducing the consequences of alcohol misuse on college campuses and communities everywhere. The ultimate goal is an App that is able to be released to the general public and will assist in changing the norms surrounding alcohol misuse for everyone.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Leone, Michael A. (author)

Core Title Mobile interventions: targeting alcohol misuse among college and university students

School Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Degree Doctor of Social Work

Degree Program Social Work

Publication Date 05/21/2020

Defense Date 03/15/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag electronic applications,GPS,group situational awareness,harm reduction,mobile interventions,OAI-PMH Harvest,public health model,safer colleges and communities,safer drinking,SAMHSA,situational awareness,substance misuse

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Enrile, Annalisa (committee member), Nair, Murali (committee member), Sylianou, Amanda (committee member)

Creator Email micaleone@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-313537

Unique identifier UC11663418

Identifier etd-LeoneMicha-8549.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-313537 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-LeoneMicha-8549.pdf

Dmrecord 313537

Document Type Capstone project

Rights Leone, Michael A.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA