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. 2016 Nov;20(11):2392-2401.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-016-2066-1.

Screening Caregivers of Children for Risky Drinking in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Myra Taylor  1 , Justin Knox  2 , Meera K Chhagan  1   3 , Shuaib Kauchali  1 , Jane Kvalsvig  1 , Claude Ann Mellins  4 , Stephen M Arpadi  2   5 , Murray H Craib  1 , Leslie L Davidson  6   7
Affiliations

Screening Caregivers of Children for Risky Drinking in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Myra Taylor et al. Matern Child Health J. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Background and Objectives Alcohol abuse, a significant health problem in South Africa, affects the ability of adults to care for children. Little is known regarding risky alcohol use among child caregivers there. A large population-based study examined the prevalence of, and factors associated with, risky drinking among caregivers of young children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa comparing the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the AUDIT-C screens for hazardous or harmful drinking (referred to here as risky drinking). Methods 83 % of child caregivers from five tribal areas were interviewed using the 10-question AUDIT to screen for risky drinking. The AUDIT-C screen, a subset of AUDIT questions, targets alcohol consumption and binge drinking. Factors associated with risky drinking were investigated using logistic regression. Results 1434 caregivers participated, 98 % female. Sixteen percent reported ever drinking alcohol. Based on AUDIT criteria for risky drinking, 13 % of the sample scored as moderate drinkers, 2 % as hazardous users, and 1 % as harmful or dependent users (identifying 3 % as risky drinkers). Using AUDIT-C criteria to identify risky drinking significantly increased the proportion of caregivers identified as risky drinkers to 9 %. In multivariate analyses, factors associated with risky drinking were similar in both screens: partner violence, smoking, HIV-infection, caring for a child with disabilities. Conclusions for Practice Since the AUDIT-C identified risky alcohol use not otherwise detected with the full AUDIT, and since resources for screening in health care settings is limited, the AUDIT-C may be a more appropriate screen in populations where binge drinking is common.

Keywords: AUDIT; AUDIT-C; Alcohol Use; Binge drinking; Child caregivers; Population-based; South Africa.

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