title: Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS): effects of container size adjustments on estimates of alcohol consumption across Hispanic national groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to examine discrepancies in alcohol consumption estimates between a self-reported standard quantity-frequency measure and an adjusted version based on respondents' typically used container size.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a multistage cluster sample design, 5,224 Hispanic individuals 18 years of age and older were selected from the household population in five metropolitan areas of the United States: Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Houston, and Los Angeles. The survey-weighted response rate was 76%. Personal interviews lasting an average of 1 hour were conducted in respondents' homes in either English or Spanish.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall effect of container adjustment was to increase estimates of ethanol consumption by 68% for women (range across Hispanic groups: 17%-99%) and 30% for men (range: 14%-42%). With the exception of female Cuban American, Mexican American, and South/Central American beer drinkers and male Cuban American wine drinkers, all percentage differences between unadjusted and container-adjusted estimates were positive. Second, container adjustments produced the largest change for volume of distilled spirits, followed by wine and beer. Container size adjustments generally produced larger percentage increases in consumption estimates for the higher volume drinkers, especially the upper tertile of female drinkers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reported alcohol consumption based on standard drinks underreports consumption when compared with reports based on the amount of alcohol poured into commonly used containers.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas Regional Campus, Dallas, Texas 75390-9128, USA. Raul.Caetano@UTSouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.forename: Britain A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: T Robert
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D002489:Central America / Q000208:ethnology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003462:Cuba / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D013020:South America / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology