Alcohol Screening in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Adolescents in Primary Care

Screening youth in the primary care setting is one way to identify adolescents who may be at-risk for future alcohol problems. The current study tests the new NIAAA screening guide questions, which ask about friend and adolescent drinking, to see how well these questions work to predict subsequent alcohol use, problems, and involvement in other risk behaviors, such as sexual risk-taking and delinquency. In addition, the investigators plan to provide a brief motivational intervention for some at-risk teens and see whether alcohol use differs for those teens who receive the intervention and those teens who receive enhanced usual care. The results of this study have the potential to significantly impact the standard of care for identifying and intervening with at- risk youth in primary care settings.

Youth in usual care will receive screening for alcohol and drug use. Those youth who are at risk will have a chance to talk to their provider about their use. They will also receive an informational brochure.

Youth in CHAT will receive screening for alcohol and drug use. Those youth who are at risk will have a chance to talk to their provider about their use. In addition, these youth will CHAT. CHAT is a brief motivational intervention that takes places in the primary care setting. It is a 15-20 minute intervention for adolescents age 12-18 focused on discussing alcohol and drug use. They will also receive a booster call one month later to check in on how they are doing.

CHAT is one 15-20 minute session delivered in a single PC visit and utilizes motivational interviewing with youth to target alcohol and drug use in primary care.

in the past three months: Number of times used alcohol; The 6-point frequency response scale (0= "Never" to 5= "More than 20 times") was rescaled to a pseudo-continuous variable ranging from 0 to 20 using the mid-point of any range as the new value (e.g. 3-10 times was recoded as 6.5 times).

number of times used marijuana in the past 3 months; The 6-point frequency response scale (0= "Never" to 5= "More than 20 times") was rescaled to a pseudo-continuous variable ranging from 0 to 20 using the mid-point of any range as the new value (e.g. 3-10 times was recoded as 6.5 times).

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