@article{ref1,
title="Patient perceptions of risky drinking: knowledge of daily and weekly low-risk guidelines and standard drink sizes",
journal="Substance abuse",
year="2015",
author="Sprague, Debra J. and Vinson, Daniel C.",
volume="38",
number="3",
pages="253-256",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Effective intervention for risky drinking requires that clinicians and patients know low-risk daily and weekly guidelines and what constitutes a &quot;standard drink.&quot; We hypothesized that most patients lack this knowledge, and that education is required. <br><br>METHODS: Following primary care visits, patients completed anonymous exit questionnaires that included the three Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) questions, &quot;How many drinks (containing alcohol) can you safely have in one day?,&quot; and questions about size, in ounces, of a standard drink of wine, beer, and liquor. Descriptive analyses were done in Stata. <br><br>RESULTS: Of 1331 respondents (60% female, mean age 49.6, SD 17.5), twenty-one percent screened positive on the AUDIT-C for risky drinking. Only 10% of those accurately estimated daily low-risk limits, with 9% accurate on weekly limits, and half estimated low-risk limits at or below guidelines. Fewer than half who checked &quot;Yes&quot; to &quot;Do you know what a 'standard drink' is?&quot; provided accurate answers for beer, wine, or liquor. Patients with a positive screen were twice as likely to say they knew what a standard drink is, but only a third gave accurate estimates. When asked about plans in the next month regarding change in drinking behavior, 23% with a positive AUDIT-C indicated they were at least considering a change. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Most patients in primary care don't know specifics of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) guidelines for low-risk drinking. Exploring patient perceptions of low-risk guidelines and current drinking behavior may reveal discrepancies worth discussing. For risky drinkers, most of whom don't know daily and weekly low-risk guidelines or standard drink sizes, education can be vital in intervening. <br><br>FINDINGS suggest the need for detailed and explicit social marketing and communication on exactly what low-risk drinking entails.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0889-7077",
doi="10.1080/08897077.2015.1048922",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2015.1048922"
}