Effects of a Revised Moderate Drinking Program for Enhancing Behavior Modification in the Workplace for Heavy Drinkers: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Japan

This study examined the effects of the Hizen Alcoholism Prevention Program (HAPPY) and the revised version of HAPPY (HAPPY Plus), and also compared the two programs to determine whether the HAPPY Plus achieved better outcomes for heavy drinkers in the workplace. The HAPPY Plus designed to strengthen participants’ recruitment, perception of threat, stress management, behavior modification by self-monitoring using a calendar-based diary, and to prevent dropout by telephone and e-mail follow-up by a trained nurse. Participants were men and women who consumed at least 20 g and 10 g of alcohol daily, respectively, and had not been diagnosed with alcohol dependence. A group intervention, 3-month randomized controlled trial was conducted. The control and intervention groups received the HAPPY and HAPPY Plus, respectively. The primary endpoint was average daily alcohol consumption. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), weight, body mass index, blood pressure, liver function, goal achievement rate, self-efficacy, and self-esteem were also measured. Out of 88 recruited employees, 83 (intervention group: 40;control group: 43) completed the study (completion rates were 100% and 93.4% respectively). As a result, average daily alcohol consumption decreased significantly in both groups (p < 0.001), but did not differ between groups. Even though behavior change rate was higher, and self-efficacy and confidence increased in the intervention group, AUDIT decreased in both groups but was significant only in the control group. Physiological indicators in the intervention group improved, but were not significant between the groups. Against the program revision, this study did not prove superiority of HAPPY Plus to the HAPPY regarding the indicators. However, better behavior modification and lower dropout were observed in the HAPPY Plus. Therefore, after further improvement is made, this group intervention program is applied to the workplace.

Relationship Between Alcohol Drinking and Alcohol-related Health Problems

Objective To study the relationship between drinking environment, attitudes and situation and alcohol-related health problems. Methods A sample of 2327 respondents was randomly collected from Wuhan, Hubei Province in China by a face-to-face interview. The structural equation modeling analysis was performed for the data collected. Results Both parents' drinking behaviors and respondents' drinking situation strongly impacted the alcohol-related problems and diseases. Friends' or peers' drinking behaviors influenced the respondents' drinking attitudes and behaviors. Males experienced more alcohol-related problems and diseases than females. Conclusions Comparatively, parents' drinking behaviors exert the most significant influence on drinkers. Therefore, it is beneficial to restrict parents' drinking behaviors for the offsprings and the whole society, and an intensive professional education in early motherhood is also necessary for Chinese women.