title: Validating the ability of a single-item assessing drunkenness to detect hazardous drinking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To simplify the screening process to identify problem drinking, researchers have developed single-item, quantity-based instruments. Quantity-based items, however, suffer from several limitations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine whether a non-quantity-based single item assessing drunkenness would be able to identify those who exhibited signs of hazardous alcohol use, as determined by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)-C scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between September and November of 2011, the alcohol-related behaviors of 1062 self-identified current drinkers were assessed with self-report measures (i.e. AUDIT-C and one item assessing frequency of drunkenness) in addition to corresponding biologic samples (i.e. breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) samples). We assessed the concurrent validity of the single item to identify hazardous alcohol use established via gender-based AUDIT-C thresholds. Convergent validity of the single-item was assessed by determining its relationship to BrAC levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The single item accounted for 0.791 of the area under the received operating characteristics curve for hazardous alcohol use (p < 0.001). When employing a cut-off of 1, the single-item question was 95.9% sensitive in identifying hazardous alcohol use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results reported herein highlight the validity (both concurrent and convergent) and potential utility of a non-quantity-based single-item alcohol screen for assessing drunkenness. Additional research is warranted to confirm the utility of this one-item drunkenness measure to capture risk of injury and hazardous drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education & Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. aebarry@ufl.edu
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Beth H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chaney
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stellefson
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dodd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001944:Breath Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012372:ROC Curve; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult