title: Prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use in hospital outpatients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use in the hospital outpatient setting. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use among patients attending a broad range of outpatient clinics at a large public hospital in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult hospital outpatients were invited to complete the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption questions (AUDIT-C) using an iPad as part of a randomised trial testing the efficacy of alcohol electronic screening and brief intervention. Unhealthy alcohol use was defined as an AUDIT-C score ≥5 among men and ≥4 among women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty percent (3616/6070) of invited hospital outpatients consented, of whom 89% (3206/3616) provided information on their alcohol consumption (either reported they had not consumed any alcohol in the last 12 months or completed the AUDIT-C). The prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use was 34.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.0-36.3%). The prevalence among men aged 18-24 years, 25-39 years, 40-59 years and 60 years and older, was 74.4% (95% CI: 68.4-80.4%), 54.3% (95% CI: 48.7-59.8%), 44.1% (95% CI: 39.9-48.3%), and 27.0% (95% CI: 23.6-30.4%), respectively (43.1% overall; 95% CI: 40.8-45.5%). The prevalence among women aged 18-24 years, 25-39 years, 40-59 years, and 60 years and older, was 48.6% (95% CI: 39.2-58.1%), 36.9% (95% CI: 31.2-42.6%), 25.2% (95% CI: 21.5-29.0%) and 14.5% (95% CI: 11.7-17.3%), respectively (24.9% overall; 95% CI: 22.7-27.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large number of hospital outpatients who are not currently seeking treatment for their drinking could benefit from effective intervention in this setting.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Electronic address: Natalie.Johnson@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Natalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Kypros
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kypri
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Latter
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McElduff
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia; Disciplines of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saitz
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Department of General Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Attia
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter New England Local Health District Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doran
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Hunter New England Local Health District Population Health, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia.
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolfenden
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCambridge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000639:trends; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Hospital outpatients; Prevalence; Unhealthy alcohol use