Screening elderly veterans for alcoholism

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of an alcoholism screening test not previously tested in the elderly. Design: Cross-sectional study, face-to-face interviews. Setting: Veterans Administration (VA) outpatient facility. Patients/participants: Men ≥70 years old seeking care in a newly established VA outpatient facility were invited to participate in a health assessment program. Of 109 participants who enrolled, 96 completed both interviews. Interventions: The screening test was administered by an internist as part of a medical history. The Michigan Alcobolism Screening Test (MAST), used as the “gold standard,” was administered by a trained interviewer as part of a longer structured interview. Measurements and main results: The screening test had a sensitivity of 0.52 and a specificity of 0.76 in this sample. Conclusions: The sensitivity and specificity of the screening test were lower in this sample in comparison with previously reported results in a younger population. Differences in the test performance may be related to differences in attitudes and drinking behaviors of elderly veterans when compared with those of younger men and women.