Katy Jones
Dr Katy Jones (PhD, BA Hons) is an Assistant Professor in Applied Psychology in the School of Medicine (Institute of Mental Health) at the University of Nottingham (UK). She has over 15 years’ experience understanding addictive behaviour, impulse control, and decision-making across a number of clinical settings, and across the lifespan. Research approaches include mixed methods, applied clinical health research, systematic review, and meta-analysis. She is currently involved in the development and feasibility of appropriate intervention for people who have problems with alcohol and cannabis and understanding the psychological aspects of recovery. She has expertise teaching and assessing behavioural sciences and communication skills in medicine and is passionate about patient-centred care and reduction of stigma in the field of addiction.
‘Pour your own pre-drink’ (PyoPD): Developing and piloting an interactive task to help UK university students keep track of their alcohol consumption
Aims: To develop and pilot the Pour your own Pre-Drink Task (PyoPD) to measure university student’s alcohol consumption patterns.
Design: Experimental task and self-report study.
Setting: One UK University. The PyoPD task ‘popped up’ across campus (e.g., Medical School, Student’s Union).
Participants: A total 102 university students (mean age=20, male=53 / female=48 / other=1).
Intervention: Eight drinks and eight drinking vessels were available from the ‘bar’. Students were asked to select a simulated ‘drink’ and a vessel and ‘pour themselves a drink they would pour before going on a night out’.
Measurements: Number of alcohol units ‘guessed’ and poured (calculated using standard formula), drinking vessel, and drink type. Self-report measures included demographics, AUDIT-C questionnaire, and frequency of pre-drinking.
Results and conclusions: Overall, 63.4% of students underestimated the number of units they poured (average pour across the task= 4.2 units). Spirits were selected 80.4% of the time, with vodka most popular (37.3% frequency), and red or white wine least popular (3.9% respectively). A pint glass was the most common pre-drinking vessel. Those who chose the small plastic bottle (selected for portability), or the large wine glass poured the most (average 5.94 units). The mean AUDIT-C score was 6.16 (73.4% of students drinking at higher risk). Students drank at home an average of 6/30 days (4/30 days pre-drinking). Students underestimate how many units they drink, questioning the reliability of self-report. The PYoPD task could be implemented by healthcare professionals to supplement self-report or for educational purposes.