Does age influence whether patients see physicians and are asked and counseled about alcohol consumption?

Objective: Persons ages 18-25 are the group most likely to exceed recommended levels of alcohol consumption. We examined whether persons ages 18-25, relative to older adults, were more likely in the past year to see a physician, be asked about their alcohol consumption, informed about risky drinking levels, and counseled to reduce drinking. Methods: A national internet panel of ever drinkers ages 18-39 selected using random digit dialing were categorized according to whether, in the past year, they exceeded NIAAA-recommended daily (5+ drinks for men and 4+ for women) or weekly (14+ for men and 7+ for women) drinking limits. Logistic regression analyses examined whether persons ages 18-25 and those who exceeded risky drinking limits were more likely to see a physician, be asked about risky drinking levels, and be asked to cut down consumption, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, occupation, education, and family history of alcoholism. Results: Over half of respondents saw a physician, and this did not significantly vary by age. Respondents ages 18-20 and 21-25 had lower odds of being asked about their alcohol consumption—0.34 (0.21, 0.56) and 0.60 (0.44, .80), respectively. Regardless of age, persons who were asked and exceeded weekly and daily risky drinking levels were more likely to be advised about levels of consumption that endanger health and counseled to reducing drinking [2.36 (1.42, 3.72) and 7.01 (3.03, 16.21), respectively]. Conclusion: Adolescent and young adult patients should be asked about their drinking so they can be appropriately counseled.