TABLE 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Patients by Results of Alcohol Screening
| No Past Year Alcohol Use (n = 246,704) |
Lower-Risk Alcohol Use (n = 195,265) |
Moderate Alcohol Misuse (n = 28,336) |
Severe Alcohol Misuse (n = 15,810) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age* (%) | ||||
| < 50 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 15 |
| 50–64 | 33 | 33 | 42 | 55 |
| 65–79 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 26 |
| 80+ | 25 | 21 | 9 | 4 |
| Gender*(% male) | 94 | 94 | 98 | 98 |
| Race/Ethnicity* (%) | ||||
| White | 67 | 65 | 57 | 52 |
| African American | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Hispanic | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Unknown | 14 | 22 | 29 | 30 |
| Other | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Marital Status* (%) | ||||
| Single | 14 | 13 | 18 | 23 |
| Divorced/Separated | 24 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Married | 56 | 56 | 44 | 33 |
| Widowed | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Unknown | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| VA eligibility*(%) | ||||
| Full VA coverage | 22 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
| Service connected < 50% | 21 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Not service connected | 58 | 60 | 65 | 67 |
| Charlson/Deyo Index 3 or Greater* (%) | 12 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Current smoker*(%) | 25 | 25 | 40 | 54 |
*
p < 0.001 for comparison across alcohol screening groups; VA – Veterans Affairs