- Pilot Study of a Brief WeChat Intervention in China to Increase Students’ Willingness to Assist a Flushing Student to Reduce Alcohol Use
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Fan Zhang, Lok-Wa Yuen, Lanyan Ding, Ian M. Newman, Duane F. Shell
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J Prev Med Public Health. 2018;51(6):320-325. Published online November 7, 2018
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.18.127
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 Abstract
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- Objectives
This pilot study tested the effectiveness of a brief alcohol-related intervention delivered by the social media app WeChat to teach about ethanol-induced facial flushing and increase the willingness of students who see another student flushing to suggest that he or she should reduce or stop drinking. In the context of Chinese drinking culture, it is sometimes socially difficult to refuse a drink, even when experiencing physical discomfort, such as flushing.
Methods
Classrooms of students in a medical university in China were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Students in the intervention group were invited to view 3 alcohol education lessons on WeChat during a 2-week period. A pretest and posttest before and after the 2-week period assessed changes in students’ willingness to intervene if they saw someone flush while drinking. Data were collected about students’ alcohol use and their ratings of the lessons.
Results
Mixed-design analysis of variance yielded a significant time-by-treatment interaction effect on the variable of willingness to suggest that a flushing person stop or slow down their drinking, and the change was significant between the intervention and control groups. One-way analysis of covariance yielded a significant treatment effect at the posttest, after controlling for the pretest score. Students rated the lessons above the midpoint of the scale for being informative, interesting, and useful.
Conclusions
The pilot study showed that a brief alcohol-related intervention delivered by WeChat could produce a measurable positive change in the willingness of university students to suggest that a student who flushes should stop drinking. This pilot study also suggested improvements for future lessons and evaluation design.
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Summary
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by  - Social media in undergraduate medical education: A systematic review
Jonathan Guckian, Mrudula Utukuri, Aqua Asif, Oliver Burton, Joshua Adeyoju, Adam Oumeziane, Timothy Chu, Eliot L. Rees
Medical Education.2021; 55(11): 1227. CrossRef - College students’ use of strategies to hide facial flushing: A target for alcohol education
Karen G. Chartier, E. Clare Tiarsmith, Taryn O'Shea, Kenneth S. Kendler, Danielle M. Dick
Journal of American College Health.2020; 68(8): 922. CrossRef - Needs Assessment Survey for a Food Safety Education through We-Media: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Junior Students of an Education and a Medical University in Chongqing, China
Xinmiao LUO, Li LUO, Hongyan LIU, Yangxue XIAO, Xinyang YU, Xiaorong HOU, Huan ZENG, Fan ZHANG, Yong ZHANG, Manoj SHARM, Yong ZHAO
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology.2020; 66(Supplement): S267. CrossRef
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