%0 Journal Article
%T Hazardous drinkers in Norwegian hospitals ¨C a cross-sectional study of prevalence and drinking patterns among somatic patients
%A Kristian Oppedal
%A Sverre Nesv£¿g
%A Bolette Pedersen
%A Jan Tore Daltveit
%J Norsk Epidemiologi
%D 2011
%I Norsk Forening for Epidemiologi
%X Background: High alcohol intake has been associated with increased risk of hospital admission, increased complication rates, and prolonged hospital stay. Thus, hospital admission may present a relevant opportunity for alcohol intervention. To understand the potential of alcohol interventions we need knowledge about patients¡¯ drinking patterns. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the drinking patterns in a Norwegian hospital population. Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional survey was carried out at three university hospitals. Patients were asked about alcohol intake one month prior to admission/outpatient treatment. The questionnaire included weekly alcohol intake calculated by frequency X quantity as well as episodes of binge drinking (drinking more than 5 AU during a single day). AUDIT-C was used to determine the frequency of patients having a hazardous drinking pattern during the 12 months prior to hospital treatment. Results: In total we assessed 2,932 patients for eligibility. A total of 2,350 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We included 1,522 patients (65%) in the analyses. Six percent of the women and 11% of the men reported drinking more than the weekly limits of nine alcohol units (AU) for women and 14 AU for men. Fourteen percent of the women and 29% of the men reported binge drinking during the last month. The frequency of women scoring more or equal to 4 points on AUDIT-C was 20%. The frequency of men scoring more or equal to 5 points was 25%. Conclusion: Hazardous drinking among Norwegian hospital patients may be more prevalent than what has been reported for the Norwegian population in general. Binge drinking is the dominant drinking pattern.
%U http://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/norepid/article/view/1431