Wright Health Study
A Collaborative Research Project between
Wright State University and the University of Michigan
Background
Court-mandated DUI programs are sometimes the entry points into the
treatment system for individuals who are not identified in other settings.
There is a growing number of individuals in the United States who are
near or in retirement, and a larger cohort of "Baby Boomers" who
will reach late life in the coming decades. These individuals may drink
at higher levels than previously reported and may experience greater
alcohol-related consequences, including DUI arrests.
Given the lack of knowledge about the relationship between age, alcohol
use outcomes, and service use among adults experiencing legal consequences
of their alcohol use (e.g., court-mandated DUI programs), and the increasing
numbers of middle-aged and older adults in the United States, this prospective
observational study is recruiting and interviewing 600 adults who have
participated in Wright State’s Weekend
Intervention Program (WIP).
Aims
The aims of the study are to:
- determine the age-related differences in user characteristics (e.g.,
demographics, alcohol use, health services use, criminal justice involvement,
etc.) by following three age groups (55 years old and older; 40 to
54 years old, and 18 to 39 years old);
- examine age-related variations in referral, linkage and engagement
in formal and informal substance abuse treatment in the 18 months following
participation in WIP, and identify the key characteristics associated
with types of service use; and
- measure the differences by age group in the longitudinal course of
drinking, changes in alcohol-related behaviors, and physical/psychosocial
status.
This study will provide critical new knowledge regarding the age-related
similarities and differences of adults in younger to mid- to later-life
at one of the important junctures in the intervention and treatment engagement
process.
Participation
Subjects in this study are selected randomly from WIP participants. Participation
in the study is completely voluntary and in no way affects WIP activities,
recommendations, or status with a court. Subjects are
paid a nominal fee for the time they spend responding to interviews.
Funding and Collaborators
This study is funded by a grant from the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the University of
Michigan, which contracts with Wright State University for data collection
and other services.
For more information, contact:
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine: (937)
775-2066
Russel Falck, MA, Site Principal Investigator
(russel.falck@wright.edu)
Robert Carlson, PhD, Site Co-Principal Investigator
(robert.carlson@wight.edu)
Phyllis Cole, MA, Director, Weekend Intervention Program
(phyllis.cole@wright.edu)
University of Michigan: (734) 998-7454
Frederic Blow, PhD, Principal Investigator
(fredblow@umich.edu) |
