title: Hazardous drinking among restaurant workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We address three research questions pertaining to Swedish restaurant workers: (i) What is the prevalence of hazardous drinking? (ii) How is the consumption of alcohol distributed? (iii) Does the prevention paradox apply?
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by administering the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among restaurant workers who attended a 2-day Responsible Beverage Service training in Stockholm during the period from October 2008 to December 2009. The control group comprised a sample representative of the general Swedish population. We restricted the analyses to the age span 18-59 years, which yielded a sample size of 579 for restaurant workers and 434 for the general population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of hazardous drinking as measured by AUDIT (8+ for men and 6+ for women) was markedly higher among restaurant workers than in the general population. The difference was especially pronounced among females below 30 years of age. We found no difference between restaurant workers and the general population in the distribution of alcohol consumption. About 76% of the drinking problems were found in the lower part of the consumption distribution (bottom 88%), which supports the prevention paradox.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Restaurant workers comprise a high-risk group with respect to drinking.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. totto@sofi.su.se
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Norström
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sundin
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leifman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012147:Restaurants; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult