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Homeless Women and Hazardous Drinking: Screening Results in a Primary Health Care Setting
Author(s) -
Upshur Carole C.,
Weinreb Linda,
Bharel Monica
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12072.x
Subject(s) - medicine , environmental health , psychological intervention , primary care , hazardous waste , health care , occupational safety and health , family medicine , psychiatry , ecology , pathology , economics , biology , economic growth
Background and Objectives Screening for alcohol use in primary care is underutilized, especially for women. The current study implemented systematic women's alcohol use screening in a health care for the homeless primary care program. Methods All women ( n = 541) seeking care over 12 months were screened. Results Of the 541 screening forms returned, 80 women refused to answer the alcohol use questions. Of 461 completed screens, over 40% reported no alcohol use, while 43.8% reported hazardous drinking. Hazardous drinking was significantly associated with younger age, African American race, and living on the street or in a shelter. Discussion and Conclusions High rates of drinking were identified among women in different housing situations and use of systematic screening was beneficial to providers. Scientific Significance and Future Directions Health care settings are important sites to identify hazardous drinking as well as alcohol disorders among women with unstable housing histories. The growing integration of behavioral health care into primary care, and the medical home concept, both provide opportunities for brief interventions for at‐risk drinkers, as well as treatment options for those with alcohol use disorders that may be particularly appealing to women. Findings support further investigation of the relationship of housing stability to drinking, and suggest African American women may need special attention. (Am J Addict 2014;23:117–122)