U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Screening for Alcohol Misuse

Release Date: April 2004

Summary of Recommendations / Supporting Documents

Summary of Recommendation

• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening and behavioral counseling interventions to reduce alcohol misuse (go to Clinical Considerations) by adults, including pregnant women, in primary care settings.

  Rating: B Recommendation.

  Rationale: The USPSTF found good evidence that screening in primary care settings can accurately identify patients whose levels or patterns of alcohol consumption do not meet criteria for alcohol dependence, but place them at risk for increased morbidity and mortality, and good evidence that brief behavioral counseling interventions with followup produce small to moderate reductions in alcohol consumption that are sustained over 6- to 12-month periods or longer. The USPSTF found some evidence that interventions lead to positive health outcomes 4 or more years post-intervention, but found limited evidence that screening and behavioral counseling reduce alcohol-related morbidity. The evidence on the effectiveness of counseling to reduce alcohol consumption during pregnancy is limited; however, studies in the general adult population show that behavioral counseling interventions are effective among women of childbearing age. The USPSTF concluded that the benefits of behavioral counseling interventions to reduce alcohol misuse by adults outweigh any potential harms.

• The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against screening and behavioral counseling interventions to prevent or reduce alcohol misuse by adolescents in primary care settings.

  Rating: I Recommendation.

  Rationale: The USPSTF found limited evidence evaluating the effectiveness of screening and behavioral counseling interventions in primary care settings to prevent or reduce alcohol misuse by adolescents. The USPSTF concluded that the evidence is insufficient to assess the potential benefits and harms of screening and behavioral counseling interventions in this population.

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Supporting Documents

Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse, April 2004
Recommendation Statement (PDF File, 200 KB)
Summary of the Evidence (PDF File, 418 KB)
Systematic Evidence Review (File Download, 400 KB)
What's New from the USPSTF (PDF File, 243 KB)

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