How effective are brief interventions?
Randomized, controlled clinical trials in a variety of populations and settings have shown that brief interventions can decrease alcohol use significantly among people who drink above the recommended limits but aren’t dependent. In several intervention trials with multiple brief contacts, for example, heavy drinkers cut an average of three to nine drinks per week, for a 13 to 34 percent net reduction in consumption. Even relatively modest reductions in drinking can have important health benefits when spread across a large number of people. Brief intervention trials have also reported significant decreases in blood pressure readings, levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), psychosocial problems, hospital days, and hospital readmissions for alcohol-related trauma. Followup periods typically range from 6 to 24 months, although one recent study reported sustained reductions in alcohol use over 48 months. A cost-benefit analysis in this study showed that each dollar invested in brief ph
Randomized, controlled clinical trials in a variety of populations and settings have shown that brief interventions can decrease alcohol use significantly among people who drink above the recommended limits but aren’t dependent. In several intervention trials with multiple brief contacts, for example, heavy drinkers cut an average of three to nine drinks per week, for a 13 to 34 percent net reduction in consumption.30 Even relatively modest reductions in drinking can have important health benefits when spread across a large number of people. Brief intervention trials have also reported significant decreases in blood pressure readings, levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), psychosocial problems, hospital days, and hospital readmissions for alcohol-related trauma.8 Followup periods typically range from 6 to 24 months, although one recent study reported sustained reductions in alcohol use over 48 months.8 A cost-benefit analysis in this study showed that each dollar invested in brie
Various trials of brief interventions have been conducted. Brief interventions consisting of assessment of intake and provision of information and advice significantly reduce alcohol consumption by over a fifth in the large group of people with raised alcohol consumption. How this relates into changes in health, however, is not clear. The trials have used various outcome measures. Few have directly measured health related outcomes, and most use patients’ reported changes in alcohol consumption as the primary outcome measure. The reliability of self reported changes in behaviour is, however, doubtful. In addition, to estimate the longer term impact on health status using trial data is difficult because follow up is short. Also, trials include patients whose consumption is considerably above the Health of the Nation targets, and it is unclear to what extent the findings in such patients can be translated to people in the general population whose drinking is above target levels. Some evid
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- How effective are brief interventions?
