TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Auditing the AUDIT: a systematic review of cut-off scores for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in low- and middle-income countries
JO  - Drug and alcohol dependence
A1  - Nadkarni, Abhijit
A1  - Garber, Alison
A1  - Costa, Sheina
A1  - Wood, Sheena
A1  - Kumar, Sonali
A1  - MacKinnon, Nathalie
A1  - Ibrahim, Mariam
A1  - Velleman, Richard
A1  - Bhatia, Urvita
A1  - Fernandes, Godwin
A1  - Weobong, Benedict
A1  - Rane, Anil
SP  - 123
EP  - 133
VL  - 202
IS  - 
N2  - INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization's (WHO) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is used extensively across the world, with cut-off scores recommended by the WHO. We reviewed the use and validity of AUDIT cut-off scores in low- and middle-income countries as cultural contexts are expected to influence the detection of alcohol use disorders. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: The systematic review was guided by an a priori defined protocol consistent with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. We searched Cochrane library, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Indmed, LILACS, and AJOL databases using appropriate search terms. We conducted a narrative synthesis of the data. <br><br>RESULTS: We identified 54 distinct studies that used AUDIT cut-off scores which were not in alignment with those recommended by the WHO. India (n = 10), Nigeria (n = 9), and Brazil (n = 9) produced most of these included studies. Most of the studies (n = 42) did not conduct psychometric evaluations of AUDIT cut-off scores. Of the twelve studies which did report psychometric results, a wide range of cut-off scores performed well. In these studies the cut-off scores to detect hazardous drinking ranged from >3 to >5, for harmful drinking from >5 to >16, and for dependent drinking from >7 to >24. <br><br>DISCUSSION: AUDIT is being widely used in LMICs and non-recommended cut-off scores are considered to be appropriate in these countries. It is important to systematically evaluate the psychometric properties of those cut-off scores to ensure the internal validity of the studies in which they are used.<br><br>Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0376-8716
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.04.031
ID  - ref1
ER  -