Alcohol screening and brief intervention in a representative sample of veterans receiving primary care services.

ABSTRACT: AIMS:Unhealthy alcohol use is common among adults, and in particular, Veterans. Routine alcohol screening followed by brief intervention is recommended and considered a prevention priority in primary care settings. While previous studies have found that Veterans enrolled in the Veteran's Health Administration (VA) receive high rates of screening and brief intervention, less than 50% of Veterans receive VA health care. No study has evaluated receipt of these services in a general sample of Veterans. Therefore, in a nationally-representative sample, we examine whether Veteran status was associated with receiving alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care. METHODS:Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we identified adults who endorsed visiting a doctor for routine checkup at least once in the past two years and responded to an optional module assessing alcohol-related care (N?=?92,206; 14.1% Veterans). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between Veteran status and screening and brief intervention outcomes. We also evaluate differences in alcohol-related care across Veteran status stratified by gender. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics likely to confound the association. RESULTS:Overall, Veterans were more likely than non-Veterans to be screened for alcohol quantity and heavy episodic drinking (ps?

SUBMITTER: Bachrach RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6211809 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature