Self-report validity in the consumption of alcoholic drinks

This paper reports data from a study carried out at emergency rooms of eight hospitals from Mexico City. The role of alcohol in the occurrence of traumatisms and acute medical problems was evaluated. A subsample of 1582 drawn from a population of 2700 patients included those cases reporting ingestion of alcohol during 12 months previous to the survey. A self-report questionnaire was applied, together with interviewing and breath testing to evaluate alcohol level in blood. In 24.2% of the cases there were positive levels of alcohol in blood (<10 mg/100ml), and 32.7% reported alcohol consumption previous to the occurrence of event. Validity of self-report with respect to index of sensibility and specificity was demonstrated.