title: An epidemiological survey of alcohol use disorders in a Tibetan population.
abstract: We performed an epidemiological survey in order to detect the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in a sub-group of the population of Tibet. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire, the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ), and a 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) were used to obtain epidemiological data on alcohol use disorders and to assess the severity of 'problem drinking' and general mental health status. The AUDIT is a reliable and valid screening tool for both alcohol abuse and dependence in the Tibetan population to identify individuals with alcohol use problems. The cut-off points were set to be 10 and 13 of the AUDIT scores as a diagnostic discriminator of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, respectively, with both sensitivity and specificity>0.84. The prevalence of alcohol abuse, was 2.7% (female: 2.0%; male: 6.2%), alcohol dependence 13.5% (female: 7.6%; male: 25.4%) and alcohol use disorders 16.2% (female: 9.6%; male: 31.6%). Age and sex were the main factors affecting an individual's alcohol use and general mental health status. The epidemiological data on alcohol use disorders documented in this project may be helpful in future work seeking more valid causal inferences or interpretations related to this prevalent health problem in Tibet.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Laboratory and Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China.
authors.forename: Wanjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Gongga
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzi
authors.forename: Ouzhu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Luobu
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Puo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Basang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhuoma
authors.forename: Yingcheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Chengyin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Xiehe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018609:Tibet / Q000453:epidemiology