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Addiction Science & Clinical Practice
Published in: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Tremor | Research

Asking about the last four drinking occasions on a tablet computer as a way to record alcohol consumption in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a validation

Authors: K. S. Kylie Lee, James H. Conigrave, Sarah Callinan, Scott Wilson, Robin Room, Jimmy Perry, Tim Slade, Tanya N. Chikritzhs, Noel Hayman, Teagan Weatherall, Geoffrey Leggat, Dennis Gray, Katherine M. Conigrave

Published in: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Alcohol consumption among Indigenous Australians can be irregular, depending on social and geographic context. The Finnish method uses the last four drinking occasions to estimate drinking quantity and pattern. The Grog Survey App is an interactive and visual tablet computer application which uses touch-screen technology to deliver questions on drinking.

Methods

Alcohol consumption recorded on the Grog Survey App using the last four occasions (Finnish) method was compared with a clinical interview conducted by an Indigenous Australian health professional. To assess convergent validity, Spearman’s ranked correlations between consumption estimates from the App and from interview were calculated. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were used to compare how well the App and clinical interview agreed when classifying drinkers’ risk. To assess criterion validity, average grams alcohol per day as estimated by the App (and by interview) were compared against presence of self-reported withdrawal tremors (from App or interview). Test–retest reliability was assessed by correlations between measures of alcohol consumption recorded on two occasions.

Results

The App recorded higher numbers of standard drinks consumed per drinking occasion than the interview. There was reasonable agreement between the App and interview across common reference periods (sensitivity 92.7%, specificity 69.8%, short-term risk; sensitivity 70.7%, specificity 68.8%, long-term risk). Average consumption recorded by the App was as good or better predictor of withdrawal tremors than consumption as estimated by interview.

Conclusions

The Finnish method, as delivered by the App, offers an innovative way to collect survey data on alcohol in a population with an intermittent drinking pattern.
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Metadata
Title
Asking about the last four drinking occasions on a tablet computer as a way to record alcohol consumption in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a validation
Authors
K. S. Kylie Lee
James H. Conigrave
Sarah Callinan
Scott Wilson
Robin Room
Jimmy Perry
Tim Slade
Tanya N. Chikritzhs
Noel Hayman
Teagan Weatherall
Geoffrey Leggat
Dennis Gray
Katherine M. Conigrave
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Tremor
Published in
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1940-0640
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-019-0148-2

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