Funded Research Projects

Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R34AA028730; PI Dr. Melissa Lewis)

Overview:

Project EQUIP, which stands for Enhancing Quality and Consistency in Protective Strategies, focused on helping young adults who use both alcohol and cannabis build healthier habits and make safer choices. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, this project combined science, technology, and the perspectives of young adults to design and test an interactive online program that provides personalized feedback, text reminders, and motivational summaries over time.

What We Did:

Dr. Lewis and the STARR Lab team worked closely with young adults across Texas to develop and refine the Dynamic Alcohol and Cannabis Personalized Feedback Intervention (PFI). This program adapts to each participant’s needs and progress, helping them use effective strategies more consistently in their daily lives.

Project EQUIP included two major phases:

Phase 1: Listening, Learning, and Building

Through nine focus groups and twenty-two interviews with forty young adults aged 18 to 24, the team explored how and why people use protective behavioral strategies (PBS). These are practical steps such as setting drink limits, avoiding cross-fading, or planning safe transportation. Participants helped shape every part of the program, from the message content to the timing of text delivery.

What we learned:

• The quality and consistency of PBS use both matter. Using good strategies occasionally is not enough; the key is applying them regularly and effectively.
• A personalized, user-driven approach helps participants stay engaged and motivated.
• Including modules on stress, sleep, relationships, and mental health makes the program more meaningful and relevant.

These insights guided the creation of a dynamic, interactive PFI that adjusts to participants’ goals and feedback over time. The program sends up to 24 text messages along with weekly and monthly summaries to reinforce motivation and support consistent behavior change.

Phase 2: Testing and Refining the Program

In the second phase, 153 young adults participated in an eight-week pilot trial to evaluate how easy, engaging, and useful the PFI was. Participants completed daily check-ins and received personalized feedback through the website and text messages.

Key results:

• High engagement: 77% completed daily surveys, and 94% completed the two-month follow-up.
• Positive feedback: Participants rated the program as relevant (4.2 out of 5), useful (4.1), and thought-provoking (3.9).
• Excellent usability: The overall System Usability Score was 76.6 out of 100, which is considered above average for digital programs.
• Favorite modules: Stress and Anxiety (88%) and Sleep and Fatigue (85%) were the most frequently selected topics.

Participants chose which strategies they wanted delivered by text, with most selecting options that addressed both alcohol and cannabis use. Many revisited their personalized monthly reports, showing strong engagement with the feedback process.

Why It Matters:

Project EQUIP demonstrated that young adults are willing to engage with personalized digital prevention tools when those tools reflect their goals, experiences, and preferences. By combining evidence-based approaches with participant feedback, this project laid the groundwork for a new generation of prevention tools that can adapt to each user and support lasting positive change.

What’s Next:

Building on the success of Project EQUIP, the STARR Lab is now expanding this work in larger-scale studies to test how personalized, adaptive feedback can reduce risky alcohol and cannabis use among young adults in Texas and beyond.

Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R01AA025611; PI: Dr. Melissa Lewis)

Overview:

Project PATH followed more than 1,000 young people across Texas (ages 15–25) for an entire year to learn how their thoughts, social influences, and daily experiences affect alcohol use. Participants completed short smartphone surveys several times a week, giving us a real-time look into how attitudes, peer norms, and situations influence choices about drinking.

Who Participated:

• Total participants: 1,009
• Ages: 31% were 15–17, 21% were 18–20, and 48% were 21–25
• Diversity: 44% White, 29% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 10% Black, and 4% other
• Retention: 81% completed the 12-month follow-up

What We Learned:

Our findings show that young people’s drinking decisions are influenced not only by what they think about alcohol but also by what’s happening around them in the moment.

• Daily mindset matters: When participants had more positive attitudes toward drinking or believed their friends approved of it, they were more likely to drink that day.
• Peer influence is powerful: Thinking that “people like me drink” (what we call “prototype similarity”) and believing that friends drink often (descriptive norms) were linked to a greater willingness to drink.
• Context counts: Willingness and intentions to drink were strongest in fun, social, or unexpected situations, those “risk-conducive” moments that often encourage alcohol use.

Why It Matters:

Project PATH helped us understand why and when young people decide to drink. These insights are now helping our team design a Dynamic Personalized Feedback Intervention (PFI) that gives individuals tailored, real-time feedback on their thoughts, social influences, and drinking contexts. The goal? To help them make safer, healthier decisions.

Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R34AA026332; PI: Dr. Dana Litt

Overview:

Project PRISM was a pilot study designed to explore how a digital Parent-Based Intervention (PBI) focused on alcohol and social media could support meaningful conversations between parents and teens. The goal was to test how feasible and acceptable this approach was for families.

We first conducted focus groups with 49 parent-teen dyads (ages 15–20) to learn what they wanted in a PBI. Parents asked for flexibility and ease of use, while teens emphasized wanting non-judgmental, helpful communication.

These insights shaped a new digital PBI consisting of 8 self-paced web modules, supported by weekly text message reminders.

Who Participated:

• Focus Groups: 49 parent-teen dyads (ages 15–20)
• Pilot Study Sample: 101 parent-teen dyads
• Age Range: Adolescents ages 15–20
• Randomization:
  • Group 1: Alcohol + Social Media PBI (8 web modules + text reminders)
  • Group 2: Static alcohol PBI handbook + text reminders (active control)

What We Learned:

Families want flexible, real-life tools:

Parents preferred being able to move through the PBI content at their own pace—rather than using a traditional handbook.

Teens want real talk, not lectures:

Adolescents appreciated the chance to talk about alcohol and social media, as long as the conversations were constructive, respectful, and open.

Digital delivery works:

• 80% of parents in the PBI group visited the website at least once
• Average number of visits: 3.43 times (range: 0–41 visits)
• 90% of parents and 96% of teens would recommend it to others
• 84% of parents and 77% of teens said they’d participate even without payment
• 70% of teens said they’d like to receive a Personalized Feedback Intervention (PFI) alongside their parent’s PBI

Why It Matters:

Project PRISM shows that families are ready and willing to talk about alcohol—especially when supported by flexible, engaging tools that meet them where they are.

This pilot laid the groundwork for the next phase of development. Based on feedback, we’re now working to:

• Offer the PBI in Spanish
• Tailor the program for a younger age group (12–17)
• Add videos to highlight key messages
• Build a PFI for teens to receive at the same time as the parent PBI

These additions will help make future versions of PRISM even more effective, inclusive, and family-friendly.

Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA R34AA026004; PI: Dr. Dana Litt)

Overview:

The Freshman Experience Project explored how to better support first-year college students who use alcohol and/or cannabis either not at all or lightly through tailored, engaging mobile interventions.

Formative focus groups with 152 students revealed that many didn’t connect with traditional campus Personalized Feedback Interventions (PFIs), especially if their own use was minimal. Students instead wanted content that:

• Affirmed their choices, not just reduced behavior
• Focused on overall well-being
• Included positive alternatives and social support

Using this feedback, the team designed a text-message (TM) intervention promoting substance-free activities, personal goals, and peer connection.

Who Participated:

• Focus Groups: 152 first-year students
• Pilot Study Sample: 99 first-year students
• Intervention Delivery:
  • 2 text messages/day
  • 3 days/week
  • During the first 6 weeks of fall semester
• Message Topics:
  • Substance-free activities
  • Social norms
  • Personal goals
  • Behavioral prototypes

What We Learned: 

Students want relevant, empowering content:

Participants were more interested in messages that supported their choices and helped them thrive not just reduce use.

Text message interventions work:

• 71% responded to at least one message
• All message types were rated as “useful” or “very useful”
• Substance-free activity texts were rated most helpful
• 56% attended a substance-free event because of a text

Students recommend it:

• 91% would recommend the program to other first-year students
• Cognitive interviews showed students wanted a PFI at the start to boost impact

Retention was strong:

• All follow-up timepoints saw >80% completion

Why It Matters:

The Freshman Experience Project shows that one-size-fits-all PFIs aren’t enough especially for students already navigating low-level or moderate substance use.

This feasible and highly acceptable mobile intervention lays the groundwork for a larger trial and holds promise to:

• Prevent escalation and initiation of alcohol and cannabis use
• Promote healthier, more connected college experiences
• Empower students to make informed, values-based choices