Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at Arlington received a $720,437 Project Grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273), effective May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031. This award supports a Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Trial designed to evaluate and deliver a parent-based intervention addressing social media influences on adolescent alcohol outcomes. The research builds on prior feasibility work and will compare the comparative effectiveness of combined parent-based intervention (PBI) approaches that incorporate social media content against standard alcohol prevention handbooks, with simultaneous delivery of personalized feedback interventions (PFI) to adolescents. The project will simultaneously evaluate intervention outcomes and implementation processes to accelerate the translation of evidence-based research findings into practical public health prevention strategies.

The grant funds research activities conducted at UTA's Arlington, Texas facility, leveraging the institution's research infrastructure and expertise in behavioral health intervention development. The project addresses a critical public health need by bridging the gap between evidence-based alcohol prevention approaches and their underutilization among adolescents, while accounting for social media's substantial role in shaping adolescent alcohol-related cognitions and substance use behaviors. The research outcomes are expected to provide essential guidance on optimal intervention delivery strategies for adolescent alcohol prevention programs and inform future implementation of parent-based prevention initiatives.