ORIGINAL ARTICLE Mean-Weekly Alcohol Questions Are not Recommended for Clinical Work

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate middle-aged men's willingness to answer short, clinically feasible alcohol- related questions and to discuss changing their drinking habits. Methods: All 45-year-old male inhabitants of the city of Tampere, Finland, were invited to a health screening. Of these, 664 (55.1%) agreed to participate and 615 drank alcohol. The mailed health questionnaire also included mean-weekly (M-W), quantity-frequency (Q-F) and structured frequency-quantity (AUDIT-FQ) questions based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Based on the Q-F, drinkers were classified as moderate, risky and heavy episodic drinkers. Results: Q-F was answered by 90.2%, the AUDIT by 96.6% and the M-W by 45.5%. In all drinker categories, Q-F gave higher consumption levels compared with M-W and AUDIT-FQ. Willingness to discuss and change alcohol drinking was low in all drinker categories. Conclusion: Choosing a method preferred by patients may increase their willingness to talk about alcohol. Also, a method giving high consumption values may be the most truthful, because patients often underestimate their drinking. This is why Q-F questions should be favoured over M-W and AUDIT-FQ in patient interviews.