A survey of alcohol use in an inner-city ambulatory care setting

To measure the prevalence of current drinking and potential problem drinking in an inner-city ambulatory care setting, using the CAGE questionnaire.

Survey of patients attending ambulatory care clinics, using structured personal interviews.

Three ambulatory care clinics serving an indigent, predominantly black population of metropolitan Atlanta: a general medical appointment clinic, a walk-in clinic, and a neighborhood primary care clinic.

Patients over the age of 18 who attended one of the above clinics on a day when interviewers were available and who were estimated to have more than a 45-minute wait prior to seeing their health provider.

None.

15.3% of subjects had CAGE scores greater than or equal to 2 (95% CI 12.2, 19.0). A CAGE score of greater than or equal to 2 was almost three times more common in men than in women, 26.7% vs. 9.5%. Only 8.6% (95% CI 6.3, 11.7) of subjects reported drinking greater than or equal to 2 drinks per day. These findings suggest that problem drinking may affect as many as one in six people seeking care in inner-city ambulatory care clinics and provide support for the use of screening instruments such as the CAGE questionnaire for improved sensitivity in detecting alcoholism in these practice settings.