Assessing alcohol-related consequences, participant satisfaction, and engagement strategies in the Vida PURA study of unhealthy alcohol use among Latino immigrant men

Abstract

Latino immigrant men have an increased risk for unhealthy alcohol use compared to men in other racial ethnic groups. The purpose of this study is to:1) estimate the association of alcohol use and social stressors to alcohol-related consequences, 2) assess participant satisfaction and acceptability of culturally adapted Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) to reduce unhealthy alcohol, and 3) describe engagement strategies for optimizing participation among Latino immigrant men in a community-based alcohol research study. We used data from the Vida PURA study, which included a preliminary study to assess patterns of alcohol use and the feasibility of offering a brief intervention to Latino immigrant men, and a pilot randomized control trial to assess the efficacy of a culturally adapted brief intervention to reduce unhealthy drinking. In addition, it included a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews to determine participant perceptions of the culturally adapted brief intervention from the Vida PURA study and engagement strategies for optimizing participation. For Aim 1, we estimated the association of alcohol use and social stressors to alcohol-related consequences among Latino immigrant men using linear regression. For Aim 2, we used a mixed-methods approach to assess participant satisfaction and acceptability, including both participant surveys and in-depth interviews. For Aim 3, we used qualitative data collected by research staff and qualitative interviews to identify engagement strategies and best practices from conducting community-based alcohol research with Latino immigrant men. In Aim 1, among men in this sample, alcohol use and social stressors were positively associated with alcohol-related consequences. In Aim 2, we found that participants were highly satisfied with the content and delivery of the BI. Similarly, interviews revealed that participants had positive perceptions of the BI, felt it helped them reflect on their drinking behaviors, found promotores (community lay workers) to be a trusted source of health information and liked the used of tablets to see their personalized feedback. However, participants wanted clearer advice on how to reduce their drinking and more intervention contacts. Finally, in Aim 3, we identified several facilitators of study participation, including relevance of the study topic to participants, alignment with participants’ goals to improve their lives and give back to their communities, partnerships with study staff that offered access to resources, and respectful treatment by research staff. Further, men reported that the study time and location were convenient and that they appreciated being fairly compensated for their time. Barriers to participation included survey questions with too high a literacy level and competing demands of work responsibilities. Future research should focus on better understanding the relevant mechanisms, incorporate and test improved components of a the culturally adapted brief intervention and investigate how Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) partnership processes can inform intervention and research approaches.