NCT05235971

Behavioral Economic Treatment to Enhance Rural (BETTER) Living

Completed NA Results posted Last updated 26 March 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Episodic Future thinking in Alcohol Use, Unspecified in 75 participants. Completed in 8 June 2023.

Timeline

17 May 2022

Primary endpoint
8 May 2023

8 June 2023

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Michigan
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	factorial
Masking	double
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	75
Start date	17 May 2022
Primary completion	8 May 2023
Estimated completion	8 June 2023
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Episodic Future thinking
• Volitional choice
• Monitoring only

Conditions studied

• Alcohol Use, Unspecified — all drugs for Alcohol Use, Unspecified →

Sponsor

University of Michigan

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Alcohol Use, Unspecified. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Feasibility of the Intervention - Screening Primary · Day 1 of Intervention

Percent of participants who complete intervention phone call

Group	Value	95% CI
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)	17
Volitional Choice (VC)	21
Episodic Future Thinking Plus Volitional Choice	19
Monitoring Only	18

Feasibility of the Intervention - Enrollment Primary · Day 1 of Intervention

Percent of participants who elect to receive text messages

Group	Value	95% CI
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)	17
Volitional Choice (VC)	21
Episodic Future Thinking Plus Volitional Choice	19
Monitoring Only	18

Intervention Acceptability: Number of Participants Who Rated the Intervention as Acceptable Primary · 2 Weeks Post-Intervention

Number of participants with positive acceptability ratings who indicated enjoying the intervention at least a little bit. In a phone survey, participants were asked to rate their enjoyment of the intervention on a scale of 1-5, where 1 was "not at all" and 5 was "extremely". Scores of 2 ("a little bit") or more were considered to be positive indicators of acceptability.

Group	Value	95% CI
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)	17
Volitional Choice (VC)	19
Episodic Future Thinking Plus Volitional Choice	19
Monitoring Only	17

Alcohol Consumption Secondary · The 2 weeks (14-days) of the intervention period

Average number of standard drinks consumed during the 2-week intervention period per person. A "standard drink" was considered to be 12 oz beer, 1.5 ounce shot of liquor, or 5 oz glass of wine.

Group	Value	95% CI
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)	22.1	± 25.5
Volitional Choice (VC)	17.9	± 14.9
Episodic Future Thinking Plus Volitional Choice	28.1	± 50.4
Monitoring Only	23.9	± 22.8

Sponsor's own description

The purpose of this trial is to get feedback to help develop programs delivered by phone and text messages to improve wellness and health behaviors. This study will enroll adult participants that have been seen in primary care settings and live in rurally designated areas.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Acceptability and feasibility of a mobile behavioral economic health intervention to reduce alcohol use in adults in rural areas.
   Bayrakdarian ND, Bonar EE, Duguid I, Hellman L, et al · · 2024 · cited 1× · PMID 38545408 · DOI 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100225
2. Rural- and nonrural-specific themes in personalized intervention messages for adults with at-risk alcohol use living in rural areas.
   Hellman L, Wilkins C, Bayrakdarian N, Jannausch M, et al · · 2026 · PMID 41538227 · DOI 10.1037/pha0000830