Comparisons of alcohol consumption by timeline follow back vs.smartphone-based daily interviews

Abstract

This study compared alcohol consumption data collected through daily interviews on a smartphone with data collected via the Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) during a 6-week pilot study of a smartphone-based alcohol intervention system. The focus of the study was to assess for discrepancies between the two measurement methodologies on commonly utilized alcohol outcome variables. Twenty-five participants between 22 and 45 years of age and were drinking heavily at study incipience completed a 6-week alcohol intervention delivered by a smartphone application that monitored drinking through a daily interview. Participants also completed a TLFB of their alcohol consumption during the intervention period. Difference scores were calculated by subtracting the average weekly outcome variables derived from the smartphone daily interview from the average weekly outcome variables derived from the TLFB which yielded six discrepancy scores for each of the 25 participants and resulted in 150 observations. Heirarchical linear modeling indicated that the TLFB and smartphone daily interview methods did not produce significant discrepancies over the 6-week interval when examining percent of heavy drinking days and percent of days abstinent. However, discrepancies on drinks per drinking day increased substantially over time, suggesting that it is susceptible to recall bias when assessed by the TLFB. Results also indicated that participants under-reported their drinking on the TLFB compared to the daily smartphone-based assessment. Results indicate that outside of assessing for extreme drinking (binge or no drinking), the TLFB should be used cautiously and that smartphone apps represent a promising method for accurately assessing alcohol consumption over time.

Compliance with ecological momentary assessment protocols in substance users: a meta‐analysis

“…Substance use is a discrete episodic behaviour, influenced by immediate environmental factors (e.g. For example, Monk et al [14] demonstrated that a greater number of alcoholic drinks were reported in real time using EMA than when assessed retrospectively (see also [15]). Furthermore, the assessment of substance use and its correlates in the laboratory often relies on retrospective recall which can be biased, particularly when measured following periods of drug/alcohol intoxication.…”

Alcohol, Diet and Drug Use Preceding Alcoholic Hepatitis

“…Inherent in this methodology is the reliance on patients’ recall of their alcohol intake. While it is remarkable how precise some patients can be about alcohol intake, particularly among those with severe dependence where alcohol is central to their life, relying on retrospective data necessarily becomes less effective as one asks people to report events over longer time periods [22]. In addition, interviewing patients about events prior to admission introduces the possibility of recall bias as individuals try to explain their disease.…”

Identifying the Intersection of Alcohol, Adherence and Sex in HIV Positive Men on ART Treatment in India Using an Adapted Timeline Followback Procedure

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