title: Comparison of Alcohol Use Disorder Screens During College Athlete Pre-Participation Evaluations.
abstract: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening adults for alcohol misuse, a challenge among young adults who may not have regular primary care. The pre-participation evaluation (PPE) provides an opportunity for screening, but traditional screening tools require extra time in an already busy visit. The objective of this study was to compare the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with a single-question alcohol misuse screen in a population of college-aged athletes.
  
  
  
  This cross-sectional study was performed during an athletic PPE clinic at a college in the Southeastern United States among athletes ages 18 years and older. Written AUDIT and single-question screen "How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?" (five for men, four for women) asked orally were administered to each participant. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the single-question screen were compared to AUDIT.
  
  
  
  A total of 225 athletes were screened; 60% were female; 29% screened positive by AUDIT; 59% positive by single-question instrument. Males were more likely to screen positive by both methods. Compared to the AUDIT, the brief single-question screen had 92% sensitivity for alcohol misuse and 55% specificity. The negative predictive value of the single-question screen was 95% compared to AUDIT.
  
  
  
  A single-question screen for alcohol misuse in college-aged athletes had a high sensitivity and negative predictive value compared to the more extensive AUDIT screen. Ease of administration of this screening tool is ideal for use within the pre-participation physical among college-aged athletes who may not seek regular medical care.
authors.affiliation: Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency Program, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: Erek
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Majka
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Vanessa A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: Marty S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Player
authors.forename: Lori M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wessell
mesh_terms: D000067292:Alcohol Drinking in College; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D056352:Athletes; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014495:Universities