University at Albany

Developed, implemented, and rigorously evaluated at the University at Albany since 2005, the STEPS program is a comprehensive screening and brief intervention (SBI) strategy based on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s tier I Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) model (Dimeff et al., 1999). The program is designed to (1) reduce alcohol use frequency and quantity; and (2) reduce associated negative consequences by adapting its brief alcohol interventions to meet the very distinct and complex needs of three target populations of college student high-risk drinkers: first-year students, student athletes, and students seeking primary health and mental health care on campus. Guided by BASICS program developers Mary Larimer and Jason Kilmer from the University of Washington’s Addictive Behaviors Research Center, target-population specific, relevant, and responsive interventions tailored to each target group have been systematically and strategically tested and integrated into the broader STEPS model, reaching more than 14,000 students to date. In addition to statistically significant reductions in alcohol use and associated negative consequences across each target population-specific intervention component on a total of more than 25 indices, the STEPS program has developed, implemented, and tested two groundbreaking strategies: a Web-delivered brief alcohol intervention and a team-delivered student athlete–specific brief alcohol intervention. The program has also led to significant campuswide culture change toward reduced alcohol use and increased use of protective behaviors, including making the choice not to drink. Based on evidence of its effectiveness, the STEPS program has played a national role in moving SBI forward to be recognized in late 2007 as an insurance-reimbursable service for the 18 million U.S. college students as well as the general public. Program enhancements will focus on developing, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of STEPS program interventions for members of fraternities and sororities.