General hospital patients' attitude towards systematic health risk behavior screening and intervention.

BACKGROUND: Systematic counseling on behavioral health risk factors (HRFs) may be suitable to promote health among general hospital patients. This study aimed to investigate the openness of patients towards systematic screening and intervention of HRFs, its relation to actual participation in a multi-behavioral intervention, and whether socio-economic characteristics, HRFs and health indicators are related to approval. METHODS: All 18- to 64-year-old patients hospitalized in five medical departments at the University Medicine Hospital Greifswald in Germany were asked between May and July 2022 to participate in a survey and in a subsequent pre-post intervention study. Among all eligible patients, 225 (78.9%) participated in the survey. Patients' approval of systematic screening and intervention of HRFs was assessed using five statements with a total sum score of 0-20 (i.e., scores of 0-6, 7-13, 14-20 referring to low, medium and high approval). Associations with intervention participation, socio-economic, behavioral and health-related patient characteristics were analyzed using logistic and multivariable linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean total approval of screening and intervention was 13.8 (SD = 4.8). Of the 125/ 73/ 16 patients with high/ medium/ low approval, 88.0%/ 78.1%/ 50.0% participated in the subsequent intervention, respectively. Approval was independent of socio-demographic and -economic characteristics and self-rated general health. Current tobacco smoking was the only HRF negatively (p = 0.02) and diabetes mellitus was the only disease positively (p = 0.01) associated with approval. CONCLUSION: High approval of HRF screening, which was rather independent of socio-economic characteristics and worse self-rated general health, speaks in favor of proactively approaching and motivating all general hospital patients to participate in health behavior change intervention. Tobacco smokers might need higher efforts to motivate participation than non-smokers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05365269 on May 9, 2022.

Maternal socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and life dissatisfaction associated with a small for gestational age infant. The Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP).

PURPOSE: The aim is to investigate the associations of the mother's socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and life satisfaction with the delivery of a small for gestational age (SGA) infant. METHODS: Data from 4598 participants of the population-based birth cohort study Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SniP) including comprehensive information on pregnancies, mothers, and their offspring in Western Pomerania, Germany were used in this study. The associations were analyzed using linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: After logistic regression analysis adjusted for height of the mother, women who delivered SGA infants, had lower education (p < 0.01) and smoked more frequently during pregnancy (p < 0.01) compared with mothers of adequate for gestational age (AGA) neonates. A mother with less than 10 years of education and one who continued smoking during pregnancy had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.23 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.44 to 3.46] and 2.68 (95% CI = 2.06-3.49) of having an SGA infant, respectively. There was no association between the employment of the mother (p = 0.28), the monthly income (p = 0.09), the family status (p = 0.80), the number of friendships outside the household that the mother would not wish to relinquish (p = 0.47), the number of people that she could rely on in case of an emergency (p = 0.75), or alcohol consumption prior to (p = 0.14) or during the pregnancy (p = 0.99) with SGA. Finally, women who delivered SGA infants were more frequently dissatisfied with their employment (p = 0.03) and financial status (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Women who delivered SGA infants had more associated socioeconomic and lifestyle risk factors and were more frequently dissatisfied with their life conditions than mothers of AGA neonates.

Sensitivity analyses for data missing at random versus missing not at random using latent growth modelling: a practical guide for randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Missing data are ubiquitous in randomised controlled trials. Although sensitivity analyses for different missing data mechanisms (missing at random vs. missing not at random) are widely recommended, they are rarely conducted in practice. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate sensitivity analyses for different assumptions regarding the missing data mechanism for randomised controlled trials using latent growth modelling (LGM). METHODS: Data from a randomised controlled brief alcohol intervention trial was used. The sample included 1646 adults (56% female; mean age = 31.0 years) from the general population who had received up to three individualized alcohol feedback letters or assessment-only. Follow-up interviews were conducted after 12 and 36 months via telephone. The main outcome for the analysis was change in alcohol use over time. A three-step LGM approach was used. First, evidence about the process that generated the missing data was accumulated by analysing the extent of missing values in both study conditions, missing data patterns, and baseline variables that predicted participation in the two follow-up assessments using logistic regression. Second, growth models were calculated to analyse intervention effects over time. These models assumed that data were missing at random and applied full-information maximum likelihood estimation. Third, the findings were safeguarded by incorporating model components to account for the possibility that data were missing not at random. For that purpose, Diggle-Kenward selection, Wu-Carroll shared parameter and pattern mixture models were implemented. RESULTS: Although the true data generating process remained unknown, the evidence was unequivocal: both the intervention and control group reduced their alcohol use over time, but no significant group differences emerged. There was no clear evidence for intervention efficacy, neither in the growth models that assumed the missing data to be at random nor those that assumed the missing data to be not at random. CONCLUSION: The illustrated approach allows the assessment of how sensitive conclusions about the efficacy of an intervention are to different assumptions regarding the missing data mechanism. For researchers familiar with LGM, it is a valuable statistical supplement to safeguard their findings against the possibility of nonignorable missingness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The PRINT trial was prospectively registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00014274, date of registration: 12th March 2018).

The Role of Sex and Age in Moderating the Outcome of In-Person and Computer-Based Brief Alcohol Interventions at General Hospitals: Reanalysis of a Brief Intervention Study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to test whether brief alcohol interventions at general hospitals work equally well for males and females and across age-groups. METHODS: The current study includes a reanalysis of data reported in the PECO study (testing delivery channels of individualized motivationally tailored alcohol interventions among general hospital patients: in PErson vs. COmputer-based) and is therefore of exploratory nature. At-risk drinking general hospital patients aged 18-64 years (N = 961) were randomized to in-person counseling, computer-generated individualized feedback letters, or assessment only. Both interventions were delivered on the ward and 1 and 3 months later. Follow-ups were conducted at months 6, 12, 18, and 24. The outcome was grams of alcohol/day. Study group × sex and study group × age interactions were tested as predictors of change in grams of alcohol/day over 24 months in latent growth models. If rescaled likelihood ratio tests indicated improved model fit due to the inclusion of interactions, moderator level-specific net changes were calculated. RESULTS: Model fit was not significantly improved due to the inclusion of interaction terms between study group and sex (χ2[6] = 5.9, p = 0.439) or age (χ2[6] = 5.5, p = 0.485). DISCUSSION: Both in-person counseling and computer-generated feedback letters may work equally well among males and females as well as among different age-groups. Therefore, widespread delivery of brief alcohol interventions at general hospitals may be unlikely to widen sex and age inequalities in alcohol-related harm.

Validation of the psychometric properties of a "Modified Version of the Hornheider Screening Instrument" (HSI-MV) using a sample of outpatient and inpatient skin tumor patients.

BACKGROUND: The basis for adequate psycho-oncological care is the identification of patients with psychosocial support needs. The German Working Group for Psychooncology also recommends the Hornheider Screening Instrument (HSI) for this purpose. The question, "Is anyone in your family particularly burdened by the hospital stay?" is intended to capture disease-related family stress. But is this item equally suitable for outpatients and inpatients? The study objective was to examine how replacing the original item affects the test performance of this modified version of the HSI and the frequency of psychosocial stress. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 92 outpatients and 98 inpatients with skin tumors assessed their psychosocial situation using different questionnaires. RESULTS: Compared to inpatients, less than half as many outpatients answered the item in the affirmative. If the question was replaced by: "Is someone in your family particularly burdened by your disease or the course of the disease?" this setting-related difference did not arise. The "Alternative item" and the "Modified version of the HIS" (HSI-MV) proved to be superior to the original item and the original HSI with regard to all examined criteria. CONCLUSIONS: The HSI-MV can be used as a reliable and valid instrument for the systematic assessment of psychosocial care needs in outpatient and inpatient settings. Depending on care capacity, a threshold of ≥ 5 or ≥ 4 is appropriate. In addition to screening, the desire for support should be enquired.

Brief alcohol intervention at a municipal registry office: reach and retention.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the suitability of a municipal registry office for alcohol screening and brief intervention. We analyzed whether trial participation and retention differ by alcohol- and health-related, demographic and socio-economic participant characteristics. METHODS: Over 3 months, all 18- to 64-year-old visitors of a registry office were systematically screened. Persons with alcohol consumption in the past 12 months (N = 1646) were randomized to brief alcohol intervention (BAI) or assessment only. BAI was delivered by computer-generated individualized feedback letters at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Logistic and ordered logistic regression models were used to investigate whether the odds of trial participation and retention depended on participant characteristics. Models were rerun separately for low-risk and at-risk drinkers with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption scores ≥4/≥5 for women/men indicating at-risk drinking. RESULTS: The trial participation rate was 67% with higher odds of participation in younger adults (P < 0.001). Retention rates at 3 and 6 months were 85% and 81%, respectively. Higher retention was associated with older age, higher level of school education and non-smoking (all p-values ≤0.05). Low-risk drinkers were more likely to participate in the trial (P < 0.01) and in post-baseline assessments (P < 0.05) than at-risk drinkers. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that registry offices could be a suitable setting to reach people from the general population for BAI. Especially the understudied group of low-risk drinkers was well reached through BAI and showed high adherence. BAI that addresses alcohol consumers beyond those at risk may be well accepted in proactively recruited people from the general population.

Stability of At-risk Alcohol Use Screening Results in a General Population Sample.

BACKGROUND: In combination with systematic routine screening, brief alcohol interventions have the potential to promote population health. Little is known on the optimal screening interval. Therefore, this study pursued 2 research questions: (i) How stable are screening results for at-risk drinking over 12 months? (ii) Can the transition from low-risk to at-risk drinking be predicted by gender, age, school education, employment, or past week alcohol use? METHODS: A sample of 831 adults (55% female; mean age = 30.8 years) from the general population was assessed 4 times over 12 months. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption was used to screen for at-risk drinking each time. Participants were categorized either as low-risk or at-risk drinkers at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months later. Stable and instable risk status trajectories were analyzed descriptively and graphically. Transitioning from low-risk drinking at baseline to at-risk drinking at any follow-up was predicted using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Consistent screening results over time were observed in 509 participants (61%). Of all baseline low-risk drinkers, 113 (21%) received a positive screening result in 1 or more follow-up assessments. Females (vs. males; OR = 1.66; 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 1.04; 2.64), 18- to 29-year-olds (vs. 30- to 45-year-olds; OR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.26; 4.20), and those reporting 2 or more drinking days (vs. less than 2; OR = 3.11; 95% CI = 1.93; 5.01) and heavy episodic drinking (vs. none; OR = 2.35; 95% CI = 1.06; 5.20) in the week prior to the baseline assessment had increased odds for a transition to at-risk drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the widely used time frame of 1 year may be ambiguous regarding the screening for at-risk alcohol use although generalizability may be limited due to higher-educated people being overrepresented in our sample.

Sick days in general hospital patients two years after brief alcohol intervention: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial.

Little is known about the long-term impact of brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) on health and on sick days in particular. The aim was to investigate whether BAIs reduce sick days in general hospital patients over two years, and whether effects depend on how BAIs are delivered; either through in-person counseling (PE) or computer-generated written feedback (CO). To investigate this, secondary outcome data from a three-arm randomized controlled trial with 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month follow-ups were used. The sample included 960 patients (18-64 years) with at-risk alcohol use identified through systematic screening on 13 hospital wards. Patients with particularly severe alcohol problems were excluded. Participants were allocated to PE, CO and assessment only (AO). Both interventions were tailored according to behavior change theory and included three contacts. Self-reported number of sick days in the past 6 months was assessed at all time-points. A zero-inflated negative binomial latent growth model adjusted for socio-demographics, substance use related variables and medical department was calculated. In comparison to AO, PE (OR = 2.18, p = 0.047) and CO (OR = 2.08, p = 0.047) resulted in statistically significant increased odds of reporting no sick days 24 months later. Differences between PE and CO, and concerning sick days when any reported, were non-significant. This study provides evidence for the long-term efficacy of BAIs concerning health, and concerning sick days in particular. BAIs have the potential to reduce the occurrence of sick days over 2 years, independent of whether they are delivered through in-person counseling or computer-generated written feedback.

Can brief alcohol interventions in general hospital inpatients improve mental and general health over 2 years? Results from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impact of brief alcohol interventions on mental and general health. The aim was to investigate whether brief interventions for general hospital inpatients with at-risk drinking can improve mental and general health over 2 years; and whether effects are dependent on how they are delivered: in-person or through computer-generated feedback letters (CO). METHODS: Three-arm randomized controlled trial with 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-ups. Data were collected on 13 general hospital wards from four medical departments (internal medicine, surgical medicine, trauma surgery, and ear-nose-throat) of one university hospital in northeastern rural Germany. A consecutive sample of 961 18- to 64-year-old general hospital inpatients with at-risk alcohol use was recruited through systematic screening. Inpatients with particularly severe alcohol problems were excluded. Participants were allocated to: in-person counseling (PE), CO, and assessment only (AO). PE and CO included three contacts: on the ward, 1, and 3 months later. Mental and general health were assessed using the five-item mental health inventory (0-100) and a one-item general health measure (0, poor - 4, excellent). RESULTS: Latent growth models including all participants revealed: after 24 months and in contrast to AO, mental and general health were improved in PE (change in mean difference, ΔMmental = 5.13, p = 0.002, Cohen's d = 0.51; ΔMgeneral = 0.20, p = 0.005, d = 0.71) and CO (ΔMmental = 6.98, p < 0.001, d = 0.69; ΔMgeneral = 0.24, p = 0.001, d = 0.86). PE and CO did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Beyond drinking reduction, PE and CO can improve general hospital inpatients' self-reported mental and general health over 2 years.

Behavioral health risk factor profiles in general hospital patients: identifying the need for screening and brief intervention.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the clustering of behavioral health risk factors (HRFs), namely the occurrence of 16 specific combinations of tobacco smoking, at-risk alcohol use, overweight and physical inactivity in general hospital patients. Furthermore, social inequalities in HRFs, health and life expectancy are a major concern in public health. In order to establish the need for screening and intervention in general hospital care, the study aimed to determine the co-occurrence of HRFs in patients in four medical departments, and to investigate differences by gender, age and socio-economic characteristics. METHODS: Over 17 months, a systematic multiple HRF screening was conducted at one general hospital in northeastern Germany. In total, 6251 18-64 year old patients (92% of eligibles) participated. Proportions and confidence intervals were calculated for all 16 HRF profiles stratified by department, gender, age group, school education, and employment status. RESULTS: In total, 92.2% of the participants (58.6% male) reported ≥1 HRF, and 65.7% ≥2 HRFs. Men (71.2%), patients aged 35-49 (67.9%) and 50-64 years (69.5%), lower educated (79.0%), and unemployed (77.8%) patients had larger proportions of ≥2 HRFs than their counterparts. In all departments, the most common HRF profiles included overweight. HRF profiles that included alcohol and/ or smoking were more common in ear-nose-throat and trauma surgery than in internal medicine and general surgery patients. Men had higher rates concerning almost all HRF profiles including ≥2 HRFs and alcohol; women concerning profiles that included ≤2 HRFs and inactivity. In older patients, profiles with ≥2 HRFs including overweight; and in younger patients, profiles with smoking and/or alcohol were more common. In lower educated patients, profiles with ≥2 HRFs including inactivity; and in higher educated patients profiles with ≤2 HRFs including alcohol were more common. Compared to others, unemployed patients had higher rates of profiles with ≥3 HRFs including smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Two in three patients require interventions targeting two or more HRFs. The findings help to develop screening and brief intervention for patients with specific health risk profiles, that can reach most patients, including those most in need and those most hard to reach, with socio-economically disadvantaged people in particular. REGISTRY: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01291693.

Feasibility and Acceptability of an Intervention Providing Computer-Generated Tailored Feedback to Target Alcohol Consumption and Depressive Symptoms in Proactively Recruited Health Care Patients and Reactively Recruited Media Volunteers: Results of a Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: A pre-post pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a fully automatized computer-based intervention targeting hazardous drinking and depressiveness in proactively recruited health care patients (HCPs). To address the importance of the sample selection when testing interventions, HCPs were compared to media recruited volunteers (MVs). METHOD: In a multicenter screening program 2,773 HCPs were screened for hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms. MVs were recruited via media solicitation. Over a period of 6 months, study participants received 6 individualized counseling letters and weekly short messages. Pre-post data were analyzed for 30 participants (15 HCPs, 15 MVs). Intervention acceptability was assessed in post-intervention interviews conducted with 32 study participants. RESULTS: MVs showed higher problem severity and motivation to change than HCPs. Over the course of the intervention both subsamples reduced regular binge drinking (HCPs: p = 0.016; MVs: p = 0.031) and depressiveness (HCPs: p = 0.020; MVs: p < 0.001). MVs further reduced average daily alcohol consumption (p = 0.034). The intervention received positive ratings from both subsamples, the alcohol module was rated more favorably by MVs than by HCPs (p = 0.012). Subsamples further differed in terms of intervention usage (p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: The intervention was technically and logistically feasible, well accepted, and may have the potential to reduce hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms in different populations. Subsamples differed in terms of problem severity, motivation to change, intervention usage, pre-post changes, and attitudes toward the intervention, showing that intervention development should involve the intended target populations to avoid biased conclusions on intervention effectiveness and acceptability.

Proactive expert system intervention to prevent or quit at-risk alcohol use (PRINT): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The population impact of alcohol screening and brief intervention might be increased by approaching an entire population rather than individuals at high risk only. The aim is to present the protocol of the study "Testing a proactive expert system intervention to prevent and to quit at-risk alcohol use" (PRINT) which tests the efficacy of a computer-based brief intervention (i) to elicit drinking reductions among persons with at-risk alcohol use and (ii) to prevent at-risk alcohol use among current low-risk drinkers. METHODS/DESIGN: The PRINT study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial with a 12-month follow-up. A total of 1648 participants will be proactively recruited in the waiting area of a municipal registry office. All 18- to 64-year-old persons with past year alcohol use will be randomized to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive computer-generated individualized feedback letters at baseline, month 3, and month 6. Participants in the control group will receive assessment only. The primary outcome is the change in the number of drinks per day from baseline to month 12. DISCUSSION: We expect to provide a computer-based brief alcohol intervention that is appropriate for a wide range of people with alcohol use regardless of their initial alcohol-risk level. The intervention might have the potential to decrease alcohol use and alcohol-related problems on a population level at low costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00014274 (date of registration: 2018/03/12).

Do brief alcohol interventions among unemployed at-risk drinkers increase re-employment after 15 month?

Background: At-risk alcohol use is associated bi-directionally to unemployment, and decreases chances of re-employment. Brief alcohol interventions (BAI) can reduce at-risk alcohol use. This study aimed to investigate 15-month effects of BAI on unemployment among persons with at-risk alcohol use. Methods: As part of the randomized controlled 'Trial on proactive alcohol interventions among job-seekers, TOPAS', 1243 18- to 64-year-old job-seekers with at-risk alcohol use were systematically recruited at three job agencies in Germany (2008/09), and randomized to (i) a stage tailored intervention based on the trans-theoretical model of intentional behavior change (ST), (ii) a non-stage tailored intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (NST) and (iii) assessment only (AO). To test the effects of ST and NST on employment status 15 months after baseline, latent growth models were calculated among those initially unemployed (n = 586). Results: In all three groups, unemployment significantly decreased over 15 months (ST: odds ratio, OR = 0.06; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.01-0.27; NST: OR = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.01-0.18; AO: OR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01-0.21). No intervention effects were found on unemployment. Age (P = 0.002), school education (P = 0.001), self-rated health (P = 0.04), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption score (P = 0.02) and motivation to change (P = 0.04) significantly affected the development of unemployment over time. Conclusion: After 15 months, no BAI effect on unemployment was found. The mediated effect of BAIs on unemployment could be a longsome process needing longer follow-ups to be detected.

Reach of Individuals at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease by Proactive Recruitment Strategies in General Practices, Job Centers, and Health Insurance.

PURPOSE: Reach of individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes a major determinant of the population impact of preventive effort. This study compares three proactive recruitment strategies regarding their reach of individuals with CVD risk factors. METHOD: Individuals aged 40-65 years were invited to a two-stage cardio-preventive program including an on-site health screening and a cardiovascular examination program (CEP) using face-to-face recruitment in general practices (n = 671), job centers (n = 1049), and mail invitations from health insurance (n = 894). The recruitment strategies were compared regarding the following: (1) participation rate; (2) participants' characteristics, i.e., socio-demographics, self-reported health, and CVD risk factors (smoking, physical activity, fruit/vegetable consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and glycated hemoglobin); and (3) participation factors, i.e., differences between participants and non-participants. RESULTS: Screening participation rates were 56.0, 32.8, and 23.5 % for the general practices, the job centers, and the health insurance, respectively. Among eligible individuals for the CEP, respectively, 80.3, 65.5, and 96.1 % participated in the CEP. Job center clients showed the lowest socio-economic status and the most adverse CVD risk pattern. Being female predicted screening participation across all strategies (OR = 1.45, 95 % CI 1.07-1.98; OR = 1.34, 95 % CI 1.04-1.74; OR = 1.62, 95 % CI 1.16-2.27). Age predicted screening participation only within health insurance (OR = 1.04, 95 % CI 1.01-1.06). Within the general practices and the job centers, CEP participants were less likely to be smokers than non-participants (OR = 0.49, 95 % CI 0.26-0.94; OR = 0.42, 95 % CI 0.20-0.89). CONCLUSION: The recruitment in general practices yielded the highest reach. However, job centers may be useful to reduce health inequalities induced by social gradient.

In-person and computer-based alcohol interventions at general hospitals: reach and retention.

BACKGROUND: High reach of target populations is relevant for public health impact of interventions. Concerning intervention programs requiring multiple contacts, little is known about how many persons may be kept in the intervention program over multiple time points. The aim of this study was to investigate (i) the reach of general hospital inpatients with at-risk alcohol use through screening and brief intervention and (ii) whether their continued intervention participation after hospital discharge differs by in-person vs. computer-based intervention (CO) delivery. METHODS: As part of a randomized controlled trial, general hospital inpatients aged 18-64 years were screened for at-risk alcohol use on 13 wards. Participants were allocated to in-person intervention (PE), CO and assessment only. Both interventions were provided on site, and 1 and 3 months after baseline. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of all eligible inpatients ( N: = 6251) completed the screening. Eighty-one percent ( N: = 961) of the screening-positives participated in the trial and received their allocated intervention. At months 1 and 3, interventions were delivered to 83 and 79% of the CO participants and to 74 and 64% of the PE participants. The delivery of CO and PE required an average of 5.2 and 7.7 contact attempts per delivered intervention, respectively. CONCLUSION: General hospital inpatients with at-risk alcohol use were well reached through proactive interventions. COs may result in higher retention rates over 1 and 3 months and may require less contact attempts than PEs. Public health efforts that aim to achieve high intervention retention should consider proactive COs.

The Stability of Social Desirability: A Latent Change Analysis.

Social desirability has been shown to be stable in samples with higher school education. However, little is known about the stability of social desirability in more heterogeneous samples differing in school education. This study aimed to investigate the stability of social desirability and which factors predict interindividual differences in intraindividual change. As part of a randomized controlled trial, 1,243 job seekers with unhealthy alcohol use were systematically recruited at three job agencies. A total of 1,094 individuals (87.8%) participated in at least one of two follow-ups (6 and 15 months after baseline) and constitute this study's sample. The Social Desirability Scale-17 was applied. Two latent change models were conducted: Model 1 tested for interindividual differences in intraindividual change of social desirability between both follow-ups; Model 2 included possible predictors (age, sex, education, current employment status) of interindividual differences in intraindividual change. Model 1 revealed a significant decrease of social desirability over time. Model 2 revealed school education to be the only significant predictor of change. These findings indicate that stability of social desirability may depend on school education. It may not be as stable in individuals with higher school education as in individuals with lower education.

Screening questionnaires for problem drinking in adolescents: performance of AUDIT, AUDIT-C, CRAFFT and POSIT.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Only rather few data on the validity of screening questionnaires to detect problem drinking in adolescents exist. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), its short form AUDIT-C, the Substance Module of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT), and CRAFFT (acronym for car, relax, alone, forget, family, and friends). METHODS: The questionnaires were filled in by 9th and 10th graders from two comprehensive schools. All students received an interview using the alcohol section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV as well as episodic heavy drinking served as criteria to validate the screening instruments. RESULTS: All 9th and 10th graders (n=225) of both schools participated. No significant differences were found for areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves ranging from 0.810 to 0.872. Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory (0.77-0.80) but poor for CRAFFT (0.64). Different cut-offs are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Considering validity as well as reliability, AUDIT, AUDIT-C and POSIT performed well; however, the POSIT is quite lengthy. AUDIT-C showed good psychometric properties and has clear advantages because of its brevity.

Health behaviors of general hospital patients with at-risk alcohol use: Change over two years after discharge.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the natural course of health-related behaviors such as tobacco smoking, at-risk alcohol use, vegetable and fruit intake and physical activity in general hospital patients after discharge. The aim was to investigate whether patients identified with at-risk alcohol use change their health-related behaviors over two years. METHODS: Eighteen to 64-year-old patients with at-risk alcohol use were identified through systematic screening as part of a randomized controlled trial. Patients with indication of an alcohol use disorder were excluded. Data of patients who received treatment as usual were analyzed (n = 220). Alcohol use, tobacco smoking, vegetable/ fruit intake, physical activity and body-mass-index were assessed at baseline, after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Latent growth models were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-four months after discharge, participants reported less physical activity (p = .04), a higher body-mass-index (p = .01), no change in vegetable/ fruit intake (p = .11) and smoking status (p = .87), fewer cigarettes per week among smokers (p < .001), and less alcohol use (p < .001) compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The data revealed that patients with at-risk alcohol use increased or did not change energy-balance related behaviors and decreased substance-use related behaviors over 2 years after hospitalization. These findings underline the need of implementing multi-behavioral interventions into routine care.

Do in-person and computer-based brief alcohol interventions reduce tobacco smoking among general hospital patients? Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: At-risk alcohol use and tobacco smoking often co-occur. We investigated whether brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) among general hospital patients with at-risk alcohol use may also reduce tobacco smoking over 2 years. We also investigated whether such effects vary by delivery mode; i.e. in-person versus computer-based BAI. METHODS: A proactively recruited sample of 961 general hospital patients with at-risk alcohol use aged 18 to 64 years was allocated to three BAI study groups: in-person BAI, computer-based BAI, and assessment only. In-person- and computer-based BAI included motivation-enhancing intervention contacts to reduce alcohol use at baseline and 1 and 3 months later. Follow-ups were conducted after 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. A two-part latent growth model, with self-reported smoking status (current smoking: yes/no) and number of cigarettes in smoking participants as outcomes, was estimated. RESULTS: Smoking participants in computer-based BAI smoked fewer cigarettes per day than those assigned to assessment only at month 6 (meannet change = - 0.02; 95% confidence interval = - 0.08-0.00). After 2 years, neither in-person- nor computer-based BAI significantly changed smoking status or number of cigarettes per day in comparison to assessment only or to each other (ps ≥ 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: While computer-based BAI also resulted in short-term reductions of number of cigarettes in smoking participants, none of the two BAIs were sufficient to evoke spill-over effects on tobacco smoking over 2 years. For long-term smoking cessation effects, multibehavioural interventions simultaneously targeting tobacco smoking along with at-risk alcohol use may be more effective. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01291693.