Comparison of assessment methods for self-reported alcohol consumption in health interview surveys

Abstract

Objective: To select a simple method for assessing alcohol consumption and to compare how different reference periods and response categories influence the self-reported frequency of binge drinking. Design: Four random samples of 1000 adult Danes. Data were collected via personal interview at the respondents' home. Setting: Denmark, nationwide. Participants: The total number of interviewed was 2593 individuals. Measurements: The assessment methods in the four samples were (1) the 7-day recall method, (2) intake each day in a typical week, (3) intake last weekend, and (4) intake in a typical week. Furthermore, binge drinking was assessed in the samples using different reference periods and response formats. Findings: The sex-and age-adjusted mean number of drinks in the last week (the 7-day recall method) was 10.6 drinks compared to 10.4 drinks among respondents reporting their intake for each day in a typical week and 8.7 drinks among subjects reporting the average intake in a typical week. Furthermore, subjects that reported their typical intake for each day were as likely as subjects that had the 7-day recall method to report a high weekly alcohol intake. Respondents who had close-ended questions were more likely to report binge drinking compared to respondents that had open-ended questions. Conclusions: Questions concerning typical alcohol intake for each day of the week are feasible to use in epidemiological studies. Furthermore, it is more appropriate to use close-ended questions compared to open-ended questions in measuring bingedrinking when the reference period is long.

Clinical Sensitivity and Specificity of Meconium Fatty Acid Ethyl Ester, Ethyl Glucuronide, and Ethyl Sulfate for Detecting Maternal Drinking during Pregnancy

“…The TLFB is a widely accepted methodology to collect detailed and reliable self-reported exposure (29, 34). This method was tailored to our studied populations and modified to collect more precise, serial information throughout pregnancy, allowing evaluation of drinking patterns across time (27).…”

Temporal patterns of alcohol consumption and attempts to reduce alcohol intake in England

“…Studies in other populations indicate that the use of AUDIT questions can reflect current drinking habits [31–33] and can be used to detect temporal trends in consumption [34]. Data comparing self-reported consumption for different temporal scales show good correlations [8, 35], and the patterns in our data suggest as much since we observed a reported modest increase in binge drinking events during the festive season followed by a decrease in January and February (as well as during the summer period). These are however, likely biased downwards as a result of the longer reference period [9, 36].…”

Factors Associated with Alcohol Consumption in Hepatitis B Carriers: A Nationwide Study in the Republic of Korea

“…First, the information related to demographic, socioeconomic, and life style-related factors was self-reported in health surveys, and thus might be subject to information bias and/or recall bias. Although the alcohol consumption measured in household surveys might be underreported [34], it is possible to use such questions in epidemiological studies [35]. In addition, studies have shown that self-reported information regarding risk factors, including alcohol consumption and smoking, was reasonably reproducible, suggesting reasonable reliability [36], [37].…”