This is a situation most people are familiar with in some way: you and your friends are going out on weekends, intending to have a drink or two before going home, and have a good sleep like a responsible adult. But once the drinks begin to flow and you start to enjoy it, time will easily slip away from you until your mobile phone rings and a text message pops up:
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Australians are testing a smartphone application designed to reduce alcohol consumption among college students. (picture: georgerudy/istock/gettyimages)" how much did you drink? & quot;
No, this message is not from your parents or other important people, but from an application that reminds you of your responsibilities when you go out drinking.
Can that help you to drink less? That's why researchers at the University of Victoria in Australia are testing an application developed by the Burnet Institute, Mobile Intervention for Young Drinkers (MIDY), a government-funded effort to reduce heavy drinking among college students.
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Dr Tim Corney, lead researcher of the study, said in a statement about the university: "As more and more health promotion projects adopt targeted methods to change people's expectations, beliefs and social norms about alcohol culture, we see promising results." Web site.
Midy differs from other applications designed to help users control alcohol consumption (abstinence clock, daybreak and alcohol changes) in that it focuses on understanding and regulating college students'drinking behavior before, during and after going out through a customized text me. News.
The app prompts users every hour to conduct a survey of their wakefulness, mood, location and commitment the next day, and then confirm the messages they receive. It can also adjust the tone of the response. Throughout the night, the app asks users how much they drink and how much they spend, just like parents pestering their children. However, it is surprising that during the trial period of Midy & 39; s, the response rate to the questionnaire reached 89% when university-age users went out to drink. Nevertheless, a 2016 Swedish study on mobile technology and alcohol consumption suggests that information notifications and alcohol records may not be enough to cope with university drinking culture.
This study cites several additional studies and provides different, uncertain results. In a 2015 study of text messaging notifications from New Zealand, only women changed their drinking habits, not men.
It seems that only time and data can prove whether Midy and similar drinking applications can be successful in users. At the same time, here are some good suggestions on how to absorb them without damaging health and/or diet.
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