Research Article

The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and its derivatives in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly

  1. Mauri Aalto1,2,*,
  2. Hannu Alho1,3,
  3. Jukka T. Halme1,
  4. Kaija Seppä4

Article first published online: 26 JUL 2010

DOI: 10.1002/gps.2498

Issue

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Volume 26, Issue 9, pages 881–885, September 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Aalto, M., Alho, H., Halme, J. T. and Seppä, K. (2011), The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and its derivatives in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26: 881–885. doi: 10.1002/gps.2498

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

  2. 2

    Seinäjoki Hospital District, Department of Psychiatry, Seinäjoki, Finland

  3. 3

    Research Unit of Substance Abuse Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

  4. 4

    Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

*Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 11 AUG 2011
  2. Article first published online: 26 JUL 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 26 JAN 2010
  4. Manuscript Received: 2 OCT 2009

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (104K)

Keywords:

  • alcohol diagnoses;
  • binge drinking;
  • TLFB;
  • questionnaire

Abstract

Objective

The performance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly has been unsatisfactory. The aim of the present study was to determine whether tailoring the cut point improves the performance of the AUDIT and its derivatives in this age group.

Methods

From a stratified random sample of 804 Finns aged 65–74 years, 517 subjects (64.3%) completed the AUDIT and the Timeline Follow-back (TLFB) interview regarding alcohol consumption. A subject was defined as a heavy drinker if consumption of ≥8 drinks (approx. 12 g) on average in a week or ≥4 drinks at least in 1 day during the prior 28 days was reported. Combinations in which both sensitivity and specificity are ≥0.8 were defined as optimal. The elderly specific AUDIT-3 is a modification in which the binge drinking threshold is ≥4 drinks.

Results

Based on the TLFB, 118 subjects (22.8%) were heavy drinkers. The areas under receiving operating characteristics curves (AUROCs) were equivalent (≥0.898) for all questionnaires. When using the standard cut point of ≥8 for the AUDIT, the sensitivity was 0.48. Lowering the cut point to ≥5 led to both a sensitivity and specificity over 0.85. The optimal cut point of the AUDIT-C was ≥4. The AUDIT-QF, AUDIT-3 and elderly specific AUDIT-3 did not provide optimal combinations of sensitivity and specificity with any cut point.

Conclusions

The AUDIT and AUDIT-C are accurate in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly if the cut points are tailored to this age group. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (104K)