Introduction:

Interventions to reduce risky alcohol use are a priority in all clinical settings, including the hospital setting.

Objectives:

To describe the sociodemographic, family, and clinical characteristics of people who drink at risky levels in a university hospital, and to evaluate the association between these factors and their intention to reduce alcohol use, measured according to the stage of behavioral change they are at, which is referred to in this study as "intention to change".

Materials and methods:

Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 176 patients between 19 and 64 years-old classified as risky drinkers (according to AUDIT score) who underwent a surgical or a diagnostic procedure in a quaternary care hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, between April 2018 and March 2020. Bivariate (chi-square) and multivariate (ordinal logistic regression) analyses were performed to evaluate associations between independent variables (sociodemographic, family, clinical, and alcohol use-related characteristics) and intention to change. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated, and a significance level of p<0.05 was considered.

Results:

The prevalence of risky alcohol use was 4.88% (95%CI: 4.17-5.58) (176/3 609). Most participants were male (82.95%), over 30 years old (71.02%), and in the "preparation" stage of behavior change (63.63%). In the multivariate analysis, being older than 30 years was associated with a greater intention to change (31-45 years: aOR=3.68; 95%CI:1.56-9.06; 46-64 years: aOR=2.63; 95%CI:1.20-5.86), while having a high socioeconomic level was associated with a lower intention to change (aOR=0.06; 95%CI:0.01-0.50).

Conclusions.

A greater intention to reduce alcohol use was observed in individuals over 30 years of age, as well as in those with a greater perception of the benefits of such reduction, those with a better perception of self-efficacy, and patients with previous attempts to reduce their alcohol use. In contrast, having a high socioeconomic level was associated with a lower intention to change.

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