Alcohol use and alcohol use disorder among male outpatients in a primary care setting in rural Puducherry

CONTEXT: Alcohol use contributes to considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Screening for alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) at the primary care level can help in reducing this burden. While several community studies have been conducted to estimate the AUD, there apparently are no studies on opportunistic screening in a primary care setting in India. AIMS: The aim was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use and AUD in a primary care setting. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult male outpatients in a primary care setting in Puducherry, South India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Male outpatients aged 18 and above were interviewed for alcohol use. Current alcohol users were screened for AUD using World Health Organization - AUD identification test (AUDIT) questionnaire, respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Proportions were used to describe the study population and the main study findings. The Chi-square test was used to find out the association between sociodemographic factors and alcohol use. RESULTS: Of 256 subjects studied, 39.8% were found to be current alcohol users and 10.9% had AUD (AUDIT score ≥8). The sociodemographic factors did not show any association with an alcohol use in the current setting. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the present study, four current alcohol users are to be screened to identify one patient with AUD. Screening at the primary health care level can help in identifying the risk group and thus help in reducing the morbidity and mortality due to alcohol use in the population.