Intercepting Binge Drinkers in Medical Settings: A View from California

Abstract

The argument for universal alcohol screening in primary care is based on the assumption that most heavy drinkers routinely visit a doctor. This study examines whether drinking status is associated with higher or lower odds of visiting a doctor in the past year among California adults. As a point of comparison, the study also examines whether drinking status is associated with the odds of visiting an emergency room. Data came from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the odds of visiting a doctor and an emergency room for abstainers, moderate drinkers, monthly binge drinkers, and weekly binge drinkers. After controlling for demographics, health coverage, and health status, binge drinkers had the same odds of visiting a doctor and the emergency room as moderate drinkers. Among binge drinkers, female gender, health coverage, and high blood pressure were associated with visiting a primary care doctor.

Keywords:

• access to health care
• alcohol abuse
• early intervention
• screening
• secondary prevention

Acknowledgments

The project described was supported by Award Number F31DA031509 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health. This research was also funded in part by grant T32-DA007272-18 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Samuel J. Tibbitts Fellowship from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Spear would like to thank Drs. Richard A. Rawson and Christine Grella at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs for their mentorship and ongoing support. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which greatly improved the article. A portion of this article was presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in November 2010.