Validity of two questions on alcohol use in a health survey questionnaire

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumers of high and low levels of alcohol could be identified by two questions about alcohol use in a postal questionnaire survey. A sample of 2,300 persons aged 18 - 64 years from Stockholm county were sent a masked postal questionnaire comprising 30 questions about their health and functioning. Two questions concerned their alcohol consumption. One year later the subjects underwent a psychiatric health examination, which included an assessment of their alcohol use. The two questions about alcohol consumption identified high alcohol consumers with a relatively high sensitivity and specificity, of 64% and 87%, respectively, and thus are useful for identifying high alcohol consumers in health surveys using questionnaires.