Abstract
Background: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is widely used for monitoring harmful alcohol consumption among high-risk populations. A number of short versions of AUDIT have been developed for use in time-constrained settings. In military populations, a range of AUDIT variations have been used, but the optimal combination of AUDIT items has not been determined. Methods: A total of 952 participants (80% male), recruited as part of a wider study, completed the AUDIT-10. We systematically assessed all possible combinations of three or four AUDIT items and established AUDIT variations using the following statistics: Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency), variance explained (R2) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (concurrent validity). Results: Median AUDIT-10 score was 7 for males and 6 for females, and 380 (40%) participants were classified as having a score indicative of harmful or hazardous alcohol use (≥8) according to WHO classifications. A novel four-item AUDIT variation (3, 4, 8 and 9) performed consistently higher than established variations across statistical measures; it explained 85% of variance in AUDIT-10, had a Pearson's correlation of 0.92 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.63. The FAST, an established shortened AUDIT variant, together with several other four-item novel variants of AUDIT-10 performed similarly. The AUDIT-C performed consistently low on all measures, but with a satisfactory level of internal consistency (75%). Conclusion: Shortened AUDIT variations may be suitable alternatives to the full AUDIT for screening hazardous alcohol consumption in military populations. Four-item AUDIT variations focused on short-term risky drinking and its consequences performed better than three item versions. Trial registration number: ACTRN12614001332617.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 18 Oct 2018 |
Keywords
- alcohol consumption
- alcohol screening
- Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
- military personal
Cite this
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Comparing short versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a military cohort. / Watterson, Jason; Gabbe, B.; Dietze, P.; Bowring, A.; Rosenfeld, J. V.
In: Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, 18.10.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparing short versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a military cohort
AU - Watterson, Jason
AU - Gabbe, B.
AU - Dietze, P.
AU - Bowring, A.
AU - Rosenfeld, J. V.
PY - 2018/10/18
Y1 - 2018/10/18
N2 - Background: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is widely used for monitoring harmful alcohol consumption among high-risk populations. A number of short versions of AUDIT have been developed for use in time-constrained settings. In military populations, a range of AUDIT variations have been used, but the optimal combination of AUDIT items has not been determined. Methods: A total of 952 participants (80% male), recruited as part of a wider study, completed the AUDIT-10. We systematically assessed all possible combinations of three or four AUDIT items and established AUDIT variations using the following statistics: Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency), variance explained (R2) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (concurrent validity). Results: Median AUDIT-10 score was 7 for males and 6 for females, and 380 (40%) participants were classified as having a score indicative of harmful or hazardous alcohol use (≥8) according to WHO classifications. A novel four-item AUDIT variation (3, 4, 8 and 9) performed consistently higher than established variations across statistical measures; it explained 85% of variance in AUDIT-10, had a Pearson's correlation of 0.92 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.63. The FAST, an established shortened AUDIT variant, together with several other four-item novel variants of AUDIT-10 performed similarly. The AUDIT-C performed consistently low on all measures, but with a satisfactory level of internal consistency (75%). Conclusion: Shortened AUDIT variations may be suitable alternatives to the full AUDIT for screening hazardous alcohol consumption in military populations. Four-item AUDIT variations focused on short-term risky drinking and its consequences performed better than three item versions. Trial registration number: ACTRN12614001332617.
AB - Background: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is widely used for monitoring harmful alcohol consumption among high-risk populations. A number of short versions of AUDIT have been developed for use in time-constrained settings. In military populations, a range of AUDIT variations have been used, but the optimal combination of AUDIT items has not been determined. Methods: A total of 952 participants (80% male), recruited as part of a wider study, completed the AUDIT-10. We systematically assessed all possible combinations of three or four AUDIT items and established AUDIT variations using the following statistics: Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency), variance explained (R2) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (concurrent validity). Results: Median AUDIT-10 score was 7 for males and 6 for females, and 380 (40%) participants were classified as having a score indicative of harmful or hazardous alcohol use (≥8) according to WHO classifications. A novel four-item AUDIT variation (3, 4, 8 and 9) performed consistently higher than established variations across statistical measures; it explained 85% of variance in AUDIT-10, had a Pearson's correlation of 0.92 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.63. The FAST, an established shortened AUDIT variant, together with several other four-item novel variants of AUDIT-10 performed similarly. The AUDIT-C performed consistently low on all measures, but with a satisfactory level of internal consistency (75%). Conclusion: Shortened AUDIT variations may be suitable alternatives to the full AUDIT for screening hazardous alcohol consumption in military populations. Four-item AUDIT variations focused on short-term risky drinking and its consequences performed better than three item versions. Trial registration number: ACTRN12614001332617.
KW - alcohol consumption
KW - alcohol screening
KW - Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
KW - military personal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055277727&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/jramc-2018-001024
DO - 10.1136/jramc-2018-001024
M3 - Article
JO - Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
JF - Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
SN - 0035-8665
ER -