AUDIT-C
Pronunciation: AW-dit-see
Also written as: AUDIT-C — Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption, a brief screening tool for hazardous drinking.
Full Definition
The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) is a three-item screening instrument derived from the full 10-item AUDIT scale, designed to identify individuals with hazardous drinking patterns or alcohol use disorders. The AUDIT-C focuses specifically on alcohol consumption behaviors, asking about frequency of drinking, typical quantity consumed, and frequency of heavy drinking episodes. Scores range from 0-12, with different cut-points recommended for men and women to optimize sensitivity and specificity. The AUDIT-C is widely used in primary care settings, psychiatric clinics, and epidemiological surveys due to its brevity and strong psychometric properties. It has been validated across diverse populations and is recommended by various clinical practice guidelines for alcohol screening.
Usage
Usage note: Include the hyphen; distinguish from the full AUDIT scale which has 10 items.
In Context
- "The study used AUDIT-C scores greater than 4 for men and 3 for women to identify hazardous drinking." — Screening methodology
- "AUDIT-C demonstrated excellent sensitivity for detecting alcohol use disorders in the psychiatric sample." — Validation study