THE SVALBARD STUDY 1988-89 - A UNIQUE SETTING FOR VALIDATION OF SELF-REPORTED ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION

The Norwegian island of Spitzbergen, Svalbard offers a unique setting for validation studies on self-reported alcohol consumption. No counte rfeit production or illegal import exists, thus making complete regist ration of all sources of alcohol possible. In this study we recorded s ales from all agencies selling alcohol on Svalbard over a 2-month peri od in 1988. During the same period all adults living permanently on Sv albard were invited to take part in a health screening. As part of the screening a self-administered questionnaire on alcohol consumption wa s introduced to the participants. We found that the self-reported volu me accounted for approximately 40 percent of the sales volume. Because of the unique situation applying to Svalbard, the estimate made in th is study is believed to be more reliable compared to other studies usi ng sales volume to validate self-reports.