JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Individuals who undergo metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) are at increased risk of developing a post-operative alcohol use disorder (AUD). There is a need for prevention strategies to mitigate this risk. A technology-based intervention has reduced alcohol use among other populations and could be used after MBS.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to describe a technology-based intervention to reduce alcohol use after MBS and to report the study protocol.

Methods:

The intervention consists of two computerized brief intervention (CBI) sessions followed by three months of daily tailored, personalized text messaging, in which intervention content adapts to an individual’s readiness to change. The intervention will be tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial with assessments completed at baseline, 1-month post-baseline, post-intervention, and a 6-month follow-up.

Results:

We anticipate this intervention will be feasible and acceptable. We hypothesize that those in the intervention group will have a lower proportion of individuals who report alcohol use at the post-intervention and follow-up assessments. We also expect that those in the intervention will show an increased rating in the importance to avoid alcohol use. We plan to explore the direction of effects for other outcomes including hazardous alcohol use, attitudes toward drinking, psychiatric symptoms, and eating and lifestyle behaviors.

Conclusions:

A technology-based approach could be a feasible and acceptable method of delivering preventive strategies for individuals after MBS. The long-term goal is to have an effective, scalable, and sustainable intervention to mitigate the risk of hazardous alcohol use and AUD after MBS. Clinical Trial: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04788316)