Screening of Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Consumption in a Primary Health Care Setting and in a General Population Survey
Abstract
AIMS: The major goal of the study is to evaluate the ability of the Czech versions of the AUDIT-C and ASSIST screening instruments to identify hazardous and harmful drinkers in a general population sample and in a sample of patients in primary health care. METHODS AND SAMPLE: Two large datasets were analysed.
The first was based on the application of the AUDIT-C to a general population sample (N=926; age range 30-59), the second represents data collected by GPs in the context of a screening and brief advice project (SBA) (N=425). RESULTS: Analyses of reliability showed satisfying internal consistency of the AUDIT-C (Cronbach's alpha = .75 for the population survey and .74 for the primary care sample).
The respective value for ASSIST was .70. The identification of risky drinking on the basis of the AUDIT-C was identical for both samples: approx. 30%, with a cut-off point of 5 and more.
ASSIST identified 9.9% of patients as positive. The differences between the two instruments are due to differences in their conceptual background.
The AUDIT-C is based solely on information about alcohol consumption, while ASSIST includes items on symptoms of alcohol disorder and problems associated with drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The Czech versions of the AUDIT-C and ASSIST screening instruments seem to be useful for the identification of the risk level in a primary health care setting.