title: Patient perceptions of risky drinking: Knowledge of daily and weekly low-risk guidelines and standard drink sizes.
abstract: Effective intervention for risky drinking requires that clinicians and patients know low-risk daily and weekly guidelines and what constitutes a "standard drink." The authors hypothesized that most patients lack this knowledge, and that education is required.
  
  
  
  Following primary care visits, patients completed anonymous exit questionnaires that included the 3 Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) questions, "How many drinks (containing alcohol) can you safely have in one day?" and questions about size, in ounces, of a standard drink of wine, beer, and liquor. Descriptive analyses were done in Stata.
  
  
  
  Of 1,331 respondents (60% female, mean age: 49.6, SD = 17.5), 21% screened positive on the AUDIT-C for risky drinking. Only 10% of those accurately estimated daily low-risk limits, with 9% accurate on weekly limits, and half estimated low-risk limits at or below guidelines. Fewer than half who checked "Yes" to "Do you know what a 'standard drink' is?" provided accurate answers for beer, wine, or liquor. Patients with a positive screen were twice as likely to say they knew what a standard drink is, but only a third gave accurate estimates. When asked about plans in the next month regarding change in drinking behavior, 23% with a positive AUDIT-C indicated they were at least considering a change.
  
  
  
  Most patients in primary care don't know specifics of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) guidelines for low-risk drinking. Exploring patient perceptions of low-risk guidelines and current drinking behavior may reveal discrepancies worth discussing. For risky drinkers, most of whom don't know daily and weekly low-risk guidelines or standard drink sizes, education can be vital in intervening. Findings suggest the need for detailed and explicit social marketing and communication on exactly what low-risk drinking entails.
authors.affiliation: a Missouri Institute of Mental Health , University of Missouri , St. Louis , Missouri , USA.
authors.forename: Debra J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.affiliation: b Department of Family and Community Medicine , University of Missouri School of Medicine , Columbia , Missouri , USA.
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Vinson
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D012309:Risk-Taking
keywords: Alcohol abuse; drinking guidelines; patient knowledge