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In busy primary care practices, time-consuming approaches to screening for unhealthy alcohol use are problematic. In this study — conducted in a primary care clinic at a Boston safety-net hospital — researchers attempted to validate the following single-question alcohol screening test that is recommended by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): “How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?” (X is 5 for men and 4 for women). A response of one time or more was considered positive for unhealthy alcohol use. After answering the single screening question, participants underwent standardized diagnostic interviews. The study population was 63% black, 17% white, and 16% Latino.
During standardized…