PhD Conferral Mw.drs. Astrid F. Jander

“Alcohol Alert; the development and evaluation of a web-based computer-tailored game to reduce binge drinking among adolescents”

Supervisor:

• prof.dr. H. de Vries

Co-supervisor:

• dr. L. Mercken
• dr. R. Crutzen

High-risk drinking behaviour during adolescence (e.g. binge drinking) can have serious consequences in the short and long term. Despite these negative consequences, a large proportion of young people aged sixteen to eighteen have reported binge drinking in the past month. This dissertation examined the circumstances and reasons why young people binge drink and how parents can encourage their children to moderate their alcohol intake. An online game was developed and tested for effectiveness in a randomised experiment. The results reveal that the game reduced binge drinking effectively among fifteen and sixteen year olds.