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Harmful Alcohol Use (harmful + alcohol_use)
Selected AbstractsThe validity of an Australian modification of the AUDIT questionnaireDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2001LOUISA J. DEGENHARDT Abstract The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) has been used widely and is reported to be superior to conventional questionnaires in detection of current hazardous and harmful alcohol use. We assessed the validity of an Australian modification of the AUDIT (the AusAUDIT), which has been employed widely in Australian and New Zealand early intervention programmes. We used a cross-sectional study of 370 subjects from the follow-up phase of a randomized controlled trial of early intervention to reduce hazardous alcohol consumption. Scores on the AusAUDIT were compared against 12-month ICD-10 diagnoses of harmful alcohol use and dependence, as determined by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and against self-report of alcohol consumption exceeding Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) recommended limits. AusAUDIT had good internal consistency and discriminated significantly between persons meeting criteria for ICD-10 alcohol use disorders, and drinkers who did not. At currently recommended cut-off scores, AusAUDIT detected more than 85% of people meeting criteria for ICD-10 alcohol use disorders, or drinking over NH&MRC recommended limits, but its specificity was limited (29% in men, and 58% in women for drinking over NH&MRC limits). No subset of questions performed as well as the full AusAUDIT in detection of drinking problems, but the alcohol consumption items provided a reasonable screen for drinking over NH&MRC limits. We conclude that AusAUDIT is effective in detecting problematic drinking, but positive cases should be confirmed by clinical assessment. The findings illustrate the need for validation of questionnaire modifications, and the difficulty in increasing test sensitivity without reducing specificity. [source] The association between harmful alcohol use and Internet addiction among college students: Comparison of personalityPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 2 2009Ju-Yu Yen md Aims:, This study aimed to (i) evaluate the association between Internet addiction and harmful alcohol use, and (ii) evaluate the associated personality characteristics of Internet addiction as well as harmful alcohol use. Methods:, A total of 2453 college students were invited to complete the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, Behavior Inhibition System and Behavior Approach System Scale(BIS/BAS scale), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test from May 2005 to May 2006. Results:, The results demonstrated Internet addiction was associated with harmful alcohol use among college students. College students with Internet addiction had higher scores on the BIS and BAS fun-seeking subscales. However, college students with harmful alcohol use had higher scores on the BAS drive and fun-seeking subscales, and lower scores on the BIS subscale. Conclusions:, Internet addiction is associated with harmful alcohol use. Furthermore, fun seeking was the shared characteristic of these two problem behaviors and might contribute to the association. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the underlying mechanisms accounting for the association between Internet addiction and harmful alcohol use. [source] Reducing alcohol related harm experienced by Indigenous Australians: identifying opportunities for Indigenous primary health care servicesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2010Anthony Shakeshaft Abstract Objective: Identify key issues and opportunities relating to the dissemination of cost-effective interventions for alcohol in Indigenous-specific settings. Methods: Update previous reviews of the Indigenous alcohol literature, particularly in relation to intervention and dissemination studies aimed at identifying and integrating into routine clinical care those strategies that are most cost-effective in reducing alcohol-related harm. Results: The harmful use of alcohol has been identified as a major public health issue, which has a disproportionately high negative impact on Indigenous Australians. While the disproportionately high burden of harm borne by Indigenous Australian communities is well documented in descriptive studies, attempts to redress this imbalance through well controlled intervention and dissemination studies appear to have been inadequate to date. There is compelling evidence from the non-Indigenous community that brief intervention is an effective treatment for harmful alcohol use, compared to the relatively lower levels of evidence for primary and tertiary level interventions. The effectiveness of brief intervention for alcohol in Indigenous Australian communities should, therefore, be examined. Conclusions and Implications: An opportunity exists to implement brief intervention into Indigenous primary health care settings, as an evidence-based strategy using established resources. There is the possibility that such Indigenous-specific health services research will lead the dissemination field in demonstrating how the implementation process can be successfully tailored to specific and defined clinical settings. [source] Risk factors for preterm, low birth weight and small for gestational age birth in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in TownsvilleAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2006Katie Panaretto Objectives: To assess the characteristics of Indigenous births and to examine the risk factors for preterm (<37 weeks), low birth weight (<2,500 g) and small for gestational age (SGA) births in a remote urban setting. Design: Prospective cohort of singleton births to women attending Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (TAIHS) for shared antenatal care between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2003. Main outcome measures: Demographic, obstetric, and antenatal care characteristics are described. Risk factors for preterm birth, low birth weight and SGA births are assessed. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 25.0 years (95% Cl 24.5,25.5), 15.8% reported hazardous or harmful alcohol use, 15.1% domestic violence, 30% had an inter-pregnancy interval of less than 12 months and 9.2% an unwanted pregnancy. The prevalence of infection was 50.2%. Predictors of preterm birth were a previous preterm birth, low body mass index (BMI) and inadequate antenatal care, with the subgroup at greatest risk of preterm birth being women with a previous preterm birth and infection in the current pregnancy. Predictors of a low birth weight birth were a previous stillbirth, low BMI and an interaction of urine infection and non-Townsville residence; predictors of an SGA birth were tobacco use, pregnancy-induced hypertension and interaction of urine infection and harmful alcohol use. Conclusion: The prevalence of demographic and clinical risk factors is high in this group of urban Indigenous women. Strategies addressing potentially modifiable risk factors should be an important focus of antenatal care delivery to Indigenous women and may represent an opportunity to improve perinatal outcome in Indigenous communities in Australia. [source] | ||||||||||