Web-Based Personalized Feedback: Is This an Appropriate Approach for Reducing Drinking Among High School Students?

• Appropriateness of a brief, Web-based alcohol intervention for high school students was examined.
• The majority of students found the program to be user-friendly and have high utility.
• Students reporting alcohol use found the program more useful relative to non-drinkers.
• Results support the appropriateness of this approach for high school students.

Research indicates that brief Web-based personalized feedback interventions are effective in reducing alcohol use and the negative associated consequences among college students. It is not clear, however, that this is an appropriate strategy for high school students. This study examined high school students' perceptions of a brief Web-based personalized feedback program to assess the appropriateness of this approach for this age group. Results indicated that the majority of students found the program to be user-friendly and to have high utility. Additionally, students reporting alcohol use found the program more useful and indicated that they would be more likely to recommend the program to other students relative to non-drinkers. Findings support the appropriateness of this approach for high school students, and suggest that Web-based personalized feedback may be more positively perceived by students who have initiated drinking.