At-risk drinking in an HMO primary care sample: prevalence and health policy implications.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to determine the prevalence of at-risk drinking using varying alcohol use criteria.


METHODS
A period prevalence survey was conducted in 22 primary care practices (n = 19372 adults).


RESULTS
The frequency of at-risk alcohol use varied from 7.5% (World Health Organization criteria) to 19.7% (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria). A stepwise logistic model using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria found male gender, current tobacco use, never married status, retirement, and unemployment to be significant predictors of at-risk alcohol use.


CONCLUSIONS
Public health policy needs to move to a primary care paradigm focusing on identification and treatment of at-risk drinkers.
Fleming
M F
MF
Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
Manwell
L B
LB
Barry
K L
KL
Johnson
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology