Table 2 Quantification of alcohol consumption in clinical trials
Measure | Advantages | Limitations | Outcome measures |
|---|---|---|---|
Self-report measures | |||
AUDIT or AUDIT-C | Quick to perform Well validated across patient populations and cultures Can be collected online | Might be less sensitive to detect change from very high risk to moderate risk drinking Self-report measures can be affected by poor recall, minimizing use or shame at disclosing | Discrete levels of current use along quantity, frequency, and frequency of binge use |
Timeline FollowBack | Gold standard method to quantify alcohol consumption Well validated and reliable Can be self-administered by participant Provides detailed data for longitudinal monitoring | Time consuming Administration by staff can improve quality of data but requires staff time and training Online version is not available, although online delivery has been validated Self-report measures can be affected by recall bias, minimizing use or shame at disclosing | Provides quantitative alcohol consumption data over specific interval of time that enables creation of several drinking and/or abstinence outcomes related to quantity, frequency, pattern and duration. Can ascertain all FDA end points and WHO risk drinking levels |
Daily diary, Ecological Momentary Assessments | Detailed, granular, highly accurate data Captures patterns of alcohol use in real time and measures alcohol consumption at very high levels of accuracy | More complex data for management and analysis (particularly for sensors) Requires high degree of compliance by participant, poor compliance causes data loss Can be costly and resource-intensive | Provides quantitative alcohol consumption data over specific intervals of time that allows creation of several drinking and/or abstinence outcomes related to quantity, frequency, pattern and duration |
