Trial results for a study investigating the CampusGANDR app for Substance Use Disorder, specifically targeting college and underage drinking, were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-05-01, indicating no statistically significant difference in drinking outcomes across intervention groups.
Background
Substance Use Disorder (SUD), particularly Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a significant public health concern, especially among college students and underage individuals. College drinking can lead to serious academic, health, and safety consequences. Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) is a widely adopted intervention strategy in college settings, aiming to correct misperceptions about peer drinking norms, which often contribute to excessive alcohol consumption. However, existing PNF approaches have recognized limitations, prompting the development of innovative tools like smartphone applications to enhance engagement and effectiveness in addressing alcohol-related behaviors.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 1143 participants with conditions including College Drinking, Underage Drinking, and Alcohol Use Disorder. The trial evaluated CampusGANDR, a smartphone-based app designed to deliver alcohol-related Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) within a weekly game. Participants were randomized to one of three groups: Control PNF, Light Dose of Alcohol PNF, or Heavy Dose of Alcohol PNF. The study aimed to assess the app's effectiveness in correcting normative misperceptions and reducing alcohol consumption.
Key results
The trial measured changes from baseline in daily drinking and alcohol consequences across the intervention groups:
- Change From Baseline Daily Drinking at 4 Months (Drinks per week):
- Control PNF: Mean 2.11 (Standard Deviation 4.97)
- Light Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 1.79 (Standard Deviation 5.84)
- Heavy Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 2.18 (Standard Deviation 4.81)
- Change From Baseline Daily Drinking at 9 Months (Drinks per week):
- Control PNF: Mean 1.85 (Standard Deviation 4.15)
- Light Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 1.67 (Standard Deviation 3.59)
- Heavy Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 2.05 (Standard Deviation 4.75)
- Change From Baseline Daily Drinking at 12 Months (Drinks per week):
- Control PNF: Mean 2.16 (Standard Deviation 4.74)
- Light Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 2.31 (Standard Deviation 4.76)
- Heavy Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 2.00 (Standard Deviation 3.72)
- Change From Baseline Alcohol Consequences at 4 Months (scores on a scale):
- Control PNF: Mean 2.06 (Standard Deviation 3.65)
- Light Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 2.02 (Standard Deviation 4.10)
- Heavy Dose of Alcohol PNF: Mean 1.85 (Standard Deviation 3.49)
Key statistical analyses comparing the intervention groups to the control group, adjusting for baseline drinking, sex, and site, revealed no statistically significant differences:
- For the comparison of Light Dose versus Control, a negative binomial regression model showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.735 (95.0% CI 0.481-1.123) with a p-value of 0.155.
- For the comparison of Heavy Dose versus Control, a negative binomial regression model showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.96 (95.0% CI 0.64-1.441) with a p-value of 0.845.
- Another negative binomial regression model comparing Light Dose versus Control showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.821 (95.0% CI 0.539-1.253) with a p-value of 0.362.
- A further negative binomial regression model comparing Heavy Dose versus Control showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.935 (95.0% CI 0.618-1.41) with a p-value of 0.75.
- For a comparison of Light Dose versus Control, a negative binomial regression model showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.965 (95.0% CI 0.638-1.458) with a p-value of 0.865.
- For a comparison of Heavy Dose versus Control, a negative binomial regression model showed an Incidence Rate Ratio of 0.895 (95.0% CI 0.614-1.304) with a p-value of 0.563.
What this means
The posted trial results suggest that while all groups, including the control, experienced some reduction in daily drinking and alcohol-related consequences over time, the CampusGANDR app, in its tested "light" and "heavy" dose forms of Personalized Normative Feedback, did not demonstrate a statistically significant advantage over the control PNF intervention. The p-values for the key comparative analyses were all above conventional thresholds for statistical significance. This implies that the innovative smartphone-based approach, as implemented in this study, did not significantly improve outcomes beyond existing PNF strategies for college and underage drinking.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04356261, titled "Revolutionizing Normative Re-education", were posted on 2026-05-01 on clinicaltrials.gov.