Our goal is to develop and test a screening instrument for identification of alcohol problems among the elderly. Both women and ethnic minorities will be represented in activities related to item envelopment and pilot testing. The researchers will examine previous approaches, especially the MAST-G, as well as the currently accepted definition of "alcohol abuse" and determine what changes are needed to develop improved screening methods for the elderly. The objectives of this research are to 1. produce a comprehensive report on state-of-the art approaches to early identification of alcohol problems in general, as well as in the elderly popufation. The offeror will review and analyze methodology related to developing screening instruments, particularly with elderly populations. An existing literature review will be updated. The researchers will also evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different screening methods, including structured interview, self-administered and computer administered. 2. Develop a prototype instrument or protocol. The offeror will make use of focus groups of medical and other professionals and of elderly adults to develop an instrument that is appropriate for use with the elderly in a clinical setting. 3. Pilot test the instrument with a small group (9 or fewer) of people from the target population. 4. Design the specific methodology to be used to rigorously evaluate the instrument in appropriate health-related settings.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:This project will develop an alcoholic screening instrument for the elderly which will be marketed to health care professionals in clinical and community settings. The instrument will be developed so that it will be easy to use and to interpret results.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
