title: Prevalence of Hazardous Drinking Among UK 18-35 Year Olds; the Impact of a Revision to the AUDIT Cut Score.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most published research utilizes an AUDIT score of >8 as the threshold for hazardous drinking. Recent research suggests that this limit should be amended for younger drinkers (aged 18-35 years). This study aimed to explore the effect of a revision to AUDIT cut scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Applying Foxcroft et al.'s [(2015) Accuracy of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for detecting problem drinking in 18-35 year-olds in England: method comparison study. Alcohol Alcohol 50, 244-50] suggested cut off scores of nine for males and four for females to the most recent Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2007) data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This more than doubles the prevalence of female hazardous drinkers, and significantly increases the overall rate for that age group when compared with the standard threshold of >8.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of hazardous drinking among females ages 18-30 may be significantly higher than current estimates.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK r.patton@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.affiliation: Department of Addictions, King's College London, London SE5 8BB, UK.
authors.forename: Sadie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boniface
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult