Enhancing measurement in health outcomes research supported by Agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Many of the Institutes, Agencies and Centers that make up the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have recognized the need for better instrumentation in health outcomes research, and provide support, both internally and externally, for research utilizing advances in measurement theory and computer technology (informatics). In this paper, representatives from several DHHS agencies and institutes will discuss their need for better instruments within their discipline and describe current or future initiatives for exploring the benefits of these technologies. Together, the perspectives underscore the importance of developing valid, precise, and efficient measures to capture the full burden of disease and treatment on patients.

Alcohol drinking patterns and diet quality: the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Associations between alcohol drinking and cardiovascular disease mortality could be confounded by diet if alcohol drinking and diet are related. Depending on the alcohol measure, alcohol-diet relations may or may not be observed. The authors examined associations between alcohol and diet quality (Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores) using cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Alcohol use disorder and illicit drug use in admissions to general hospitals in the United States.

This study estimated the prevalence and explored the management of illicit drug use, illicit drug use associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), and AUD without reported illicit drug use in a national sample of 2040 admissions to general hospitals in the United States. Surveyed in 1994, admissions were diagnosed with past 12-month DSM-IV AUD according to the Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule. Information about drug use was also included in the interview.

Drinking patterns and body mass index in never smokers: National Health Interview Survey, 1997-2001.

Alcohol could contribute to obesity. The authors examined the relation between drinking patterns and body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) by pooling cross-sectional data from the 1997-2001 National Health Interview Surveys. Weighted analyses included 45,896 adult never smokers who were current alcohol drinkers.

Drinking patterns of older Americans: National Health Interview Surveys, 1997-2001.

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption among current drinking Americans age 60 years and older, by gender and age.

Method: Five years (1997-2001) of cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey data were pooled. Quantity (number of drinks consumed, on average, on drinking days), frequency (number of drinking days per year) and a composite quantity-frequency measure (average number of drinks per day) were defined.

Detection of alcohol use disorders in general hospital admissions in the United States.

Background: Previous studies in which research-based assessment for alcohol problems at admission was compared with physician diagnoses indicated that many alcohol diagnoses in hospitalized patients were missed. We estimated the extent to which hospital records documented detection of alcohol abuse or dependence and other alcohol-related problems in a national sample of hospital admissions having a research-based diagnosis of alcohol use disorder ("interview-positive admissions"). We also estimated rates of inpatient alcohol intervention and referral for treatment.

Alcohol consumption by elderly Americans.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption in Americans age 65 years and older using data from three nationally representative cross-sectional surveys: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS-2000), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS-2001) and the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA-2000).

Method: Alcohol consumption levels were defined as none, moderate (< or = 1 drink a day) and heavier (> 1 drink a day). The NHIS assessed alcohol consumption in the past year, and the BRFSS and NHSDA assessed alcohol consumption in the past 30 days.

Prevalence of current DSM-IV alcohol use disorders in short-stay, general hospital admissions, United States, 1994.

Background: This study provides, to our knowledge, the first national prevalence estimates of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), alcohol use disorders based on a structured, diagnostic instrument for inpatient admissions to US general hospitals. Existing prevalence estimates for inpatient admissions came from studies conducted in 1 or 2 hospitals and therefore do not support national inference.

Methods: A multistage probability sample was designed to represent acute care admissions to nonfederal, short-stay, general hospitals in the contiguous United States; 2040 admissions (1613 males and 427 females) in 90 hospitals participated.