title: Brief interventions in routine health care: a population-based study of conversations about alcohol in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how brief alcohol interventions are delivered in routine practice in the Swedish health-care system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional sample of 6000 individuals representative of the adult population aged 18-64 years registered in the Swedish total population register was drawn randomly. Data were collected in 2010 by means of a mail questionnaire. The response rate was 54%.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions, of which 15 variables were extracted for use in this study. Whether alcohol had been discussed and the duration, contents, experiences and effects of any conversations about alcohol, as reported by patients themselves, were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-six per cent of the respondents had visited health-care services in the past 12 months and 20% of these had had one or more conversations about alcohol during these visits (13% of the population aged 18-64 years). The duration of the conversations was generally brief, with 94% taking less than 5 minutes, and were not experienced as problematic. The duration, contents, experiences and effects of these conversations generally varied between abstainers, moderate, hazardous and excessive drinkers. Twelve per cent of those having a conversation about alcohol reported that it led to reduced alcohol consumption. Reduced alcohol consumption was more likely when conversations lasted for 1-10 minutes rather than less than 1 minute and included advice on how to reduce consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Population survey data in Sweden suggest that when health-care professionals give brief advice to reduce alcohol consumption, greater effects are observed when the advice is longer and includes advice on how to achieve it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. per.nilsen@liu.se
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nilsen
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCambridge
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Preben
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bendtsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006296:Health Services; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult