Fonseca del Pozo F J, Pérula de Torres L A, Martínez de la Iglesia J
Centro de Salud Occidente, Unidad Docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria de Córdoba.
Aten Primaria. 1993 May 15;11(8):393-4, 396, 398-9.
To identify people with alcohol-related problems and assess the variable socio-demographic indicators of the population under study.
Crossover and observational study.
The "Occidente" Basic Health Area in Córdoba.
A representative sample of those people over 15 registered in the Health Area mentioned above. (Systematic random sampling: n = 384).
72% of those interviewed stated that they had consumed some kind of alcoholic drink during the previous year. 35% did so at least once a week. 6.2% +/- 2.35 showed positive on the CAGE Test, most of these being: male (p < 0.001), living in a deprived area (p < 0.01), people in work (p < 0.001) and smokers (p < 0.001). Those testing CAGE (+) included a higher number of people with: hepatitis, cirrhosis, diarrhea and gastritis, although their use of health services was no different from that of the population as a whole. Logistic regression analysis enabled us to establish variable indicators of the CAGE Test (+).
Alcohol-related problems were identified basically in a typical population group. It is important to set up intervention mechanisms to tackle the problem.
