title: A comparison of two retrospective measures of weekly alcohol consumption: diary and quantity/frequency index.
abstract: There is currently uncertainty regarding the relative performance of a retrospective diary (RD) and a quantity-frequency index (QFI) measure of weekly alcohol consumption. While some previous studies have found more consumption reported on an RD than a QFI, others have found the reverse. As yet, however, no study has compared computerized versions of these two measures. This cross-sectional study involved administration of a computerized survey in a community-based drug and alcohol treatment setting. Five hundred and eighty-six clients (420 males) attending counselling for a range of drug- and alcohol-related issues agreed to participate in the study. The major finding was that more alcohol consumption was reported on the RD, than on the QFI. Similarly, the RD detected a greater proportion of both heavy and high-risk drinkers than the QFI. It is argued that the RD may be preferable to the QFI as a measure of weekly alcohol consumption, for use in community-based treatment settings.
authors.affiliation: Hunter Centre for Health Advancement and University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Shakeshaft
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sanson-Fisher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D010507:Periodicity; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors