title: Evaluating Shortened Versions of the AUDIT as Screeners for Alcohol Use Problems in a General Population Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Efficient alcohol screening measures are important to prevent or treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We studied different versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) comparing their performance to the full AUDIT and an AUD measure as screeners for alcohol use problems in Goa, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from a general population study on 743 male drinkers aged 18-49 years are reported. Drinkers completed the AUDIT and an AUD measure. We created shorter versions of the AUDIT by (a) collapsing AUDIT item responses into three and two categories and (b) deleting two items with the lowest factor loadings. Each version was evaluated using factor, reliability and validity, and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis by age, education, standard of living index (SLI), and area of residence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A single factor solution was found for each version with lower factor loadings for items on guilt and concern. There were no significant differences among the different AUDIT versions in predicting AUD. No significant DIF was found by education, SLI or area of residence. DIF was observed for the alcohol frequency item by age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AUDIT may be used with dichotomized response options without loss of predictive validity. A shortened eight-item dichotomized scale can adequately screen for AUDs in Goa when brevity is of paramount importance, although with lower predictive validity. Although the frequency item was endorsed more by older men, there is no evidence that the AUDIT items perform differently in other groups of male drinkers in Goa.
authors.affiliation: a Alcohol Research Group , Public Health Institute , Emeryville , California , USA.
authors.forename: Madhabika B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.affiliation: a Alcohol Research Group , Public Health Institute , Emeryville , California , USA.
authors.forename: Jason C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: a Alcohol Research Group , Public Health Institute , Emeryville , California , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , University of California San Francisco , San Francisco , California , USA.
authors.forename: Thomas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Greenfield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) versions; India; alcohol use disorder (AUD)s; item analyses; screener