title: Measuring the impact of alcohol-related disorders on quality of life through general population preferences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the intangible effects of alcohol misuse on the drinker's quality of life, based on general population preferences METHODS: The most important effects (dimensions) were identified by means of two focus groups conducted with patients and specialists. The levels of these dimensions were combined to yield different scenarios. A sample of 300 people taken from the general Spanish population evaluated a subset of these scenarios, selected by using a fractional factorial design. We used the probability lottery equivalent method to derive the utility score for the evaluated scenarios, and the random-effects regression model to estimate the relative importance of each dimension and to derive the utility score for the rest of scenarios not directly evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four main dimensions were identified (family, physical health, psychological health and social) and divided into three levels of intensity. We found a wide variation in the utilities associated with the scenarios directly evaluated (ranging from 0.09 to 0.78). The dimensions with the greatest relative importance were physical health (36.4%) and family consequences (31.3%), followed by psychological (20.5%) and social consequences (11.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings confirm the benefits of adopting a heterogeneous approach to measure the effects of alcohol misuse. The estimated utilities could have both clinical and economic applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Economics, University of Vigo, Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain. Electronic address: emiguez@uvigo.es.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Míguez
authors.affiliation: Galician Health Service, Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain.
authors.forename: Jacinto
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mosquera Nogueira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol-related disorders; Alcoholism; Alcoholismo; Años de vida ajustados por calidad; Calidad de vida; Focus groups; Grupos focales; Quality of life; Quality-adjusted life years; Trastornos relacionados con el alcohol