Evaluating a Health Education Website: The Case of AlcoholEdu

• Published in: Journal of student affairs research and practice 2008-01, Vol.44 (4), p.1089-1111
• Main Author: Wall, Andrew F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0027-6014; 1559-5455; 1949-6605
• DOI: 10.2202/1949-6605.1864

Building on the promise of interactive, multimedia education, this evaluation study examines an alcohol abuse prevention program, AlcoholEdu, delivered through an interactive Web-based format for the purpose of reducing the harm associated with student alcohol abuse. The study uses a clustered, randomly assigned post-test only evaluation design with 20,150 individuals to examine differences between individuals who have and have not yet received the educational program. Analyses examined the efficacy of the intervention among different groups of students: those who are members of Greek letter organizations, those referred because of judicial sanctions, or those entering their first year of study. Findings hint toward evidence that interactive health-related Web tools can contribute to preventing high-risk student health behaviors in the campus environment, with self-reported evidence suggesting implementation among first-year students to be the most promising.