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Assessing alcohol consumption: beverage-specific versus grouped-beverage questions
M K Serdula1, A H Mokdad, T Byers
1Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, USA.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
|March 30, 1999
Summary
Survey questions combining all alcohol types underestimated alcohol intake. Beverage-specific questions yielded higher reported alcohol consumption in large population surveys.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- The quantity-frequency method is standard for measuring alcohol consumption in population surveys.
- Survey constraints often necessitate shortening questionnaires by grouping all alcohol beverages into a single question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of combining alcohol beverage questions on reported intake.
- To assess differences in alcohol consumption measurement using specific vs. grouped beverage questions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 213,842 respondents across 32 states and D.C. (1987-1990).
- Comparison of alcohol intake data from surveys using beverage-specific questions (1987-1988) versus grouped-beverage questions (1989-1990).
Main Results:
- Mean monthly alcohol intake was higher when beverage-specific questions were used compared to grouped questions.
- Reported intake differences were observed for both men (37.0 vs. 29.6 drinks/month) and women (17.0 vs. 13.9 drinks/month).
Conclusions:
- Combining alcohol beverage types in surveys can lead to underestimation of total alcohol intake.
- Comparisons of alcohol consumption levels across surveys require careful consideration of how beverage data were grouped.