E-POP profile user – a mobile application supporting the reduction of alcohol consumption. A pilot study

Introduction
Mobile phone applications expand the range of services for those with alcohol problems, especially during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic when traditional treatment is not so readily available. At the request of the State Agency for the Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA), a version of the Reduced Drinking Programme (POP) was developed. The aim of the article is to profile E-POP application users in the context of the severity of alcohol-related problems in terms of gender and differences between registered users and those who had dropped out of the programme.

Material and methods
E-POP was being used by 745 persons – 45.9% women and 54.1% men. They completed the Problem Drinking Scale (SPP), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Polish version of Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS-PL).

Results
Mild and moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD) affected 28.5% persons while a severe disorder was observed in 23.3%. AUD was significantly less common in women as low-risk drinking was reported in 36.1% of men and 13.5% of women, and suspected dependence was reported by 27.8% of men and 17.3% of women. Twenty six percent of persons registered and entered the therapeutic stage. This group was dominated by people of 30-39 (35.2%) and 40-49 (29.8%) years of age. There is a small number of published studies evaluating alcohol reduction mobile phone applications. The obtained E-POP application user profile is consistent with the characteristics of users of similar applications around the world.

Conclusions
The users are most often aged between 30 to 49 and over 70% register and decide to start therapeutic work. About 30% met the criteria for mild or moderate alcohol use disorder severity. One in three who participate in a treatment programme are most likely to reduced drinking.