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Most adults not screened for alcohol use

An analysis of survey results found that 75% of U.S. adults were not screened for alcohol use, according to data published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"Since 2004, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended screening and brief behavioral counseling interventions in primary care settings to reduce alcohol misuse by adults," Clark H. Denny, PhD, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and colleagues wrote. "The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends rescreening annually for patients who were not misusing alcohol at their last screening and rescreening at least annually for patients who were drinking at risky levels."

The researchers analyzed data from the ConsumerStyles Internet panel survey conducted by Porter Novelli Public Services in fall 2013. They stated that 3,502 adults aged at least 18 years completed the survey, but after excluding respondents who had not seen a primary care provider in the past 12 months, as well as those who did not include alcohol consumption or behavioral intervention data, researchers were left with a final sample of 2,592 participants. Survey data were weighted to match the U.S. Current Population Survey.

Denny and colleagues reported that 24.7% respondents who had seen a PCP in the past 12 months indicated that they had either been questioned about their alcohol use or filled out an intake form that included questions about their alcohol use.

Results showed that 16.2% of non-Hispanic black participants were screened for alcohol use compared with 26.9% of non-Hispanic white participants (prevalence ratio = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.9). Additionally, 20.8% of participants with a high school degree or less were screened for alcohol use compared with 28.1% of participants with at least a college degree (prevalence ratio = 1.35; 95% CI, 1.08-1.69).

"Only about one in four respondents who visited their [PCP] in the past year reported receiving alcohol screening during that time period, despite the USPSTF recommendation," Denny and colleagues wrote. "The lack of screening for 75.3% of respondents indicates missed opportunities to identify patients misusing alcohol, provide brief behavioral counseling and refer to treatment, when warranted.

"Future research should examine screening practices by physician report and, perhaps, electronic medical records," they concluded. "Screening is the initial step in alcohol screening and brief intervention and should become a routine part of clinical practice.” – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.