Drinking habits and prevalence of heavy drinking among occupational healthcare patients.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the proportion of heavy drinkers among occupational healthcare patients and evaluate their characteristics.


METHODS
Patients visiting their doctor in six occupational health clinics were asked to complete a questionnaire containing the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and other questions concerning health.


METHODS
Occupational health services.


METHODS
A total of 757 patients participated in the study.


METHODS
Heavy drinking was defined as having a score of 10 or more (men) or 8 or more (women) in the AUDIT questionnaire.


RESULTS
Of the men 114 (29%) and of the women 48 (13%) were heavy drinkers. Only smoking differentiated both male and female heavy drinkers from moderate drinkers among the clinically relevant characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
There are a considerable number of heavy drinkers among occupational healthcare patients. Heavy drinkers do not have any particularly specific characteristics except for the drinking that distinguish them from other patients. Thus, screening is necessary to identify heavy drinkers in occupational healthcare settings.
Kaarne
Tiina
T
Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. tiina.kaarne@ktl.fi
Aalto
Mauri
M
Kuokkanen
Martti
M
Seppa
Kaija
K
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires