Cj. Cherpitel, ALCOHOL-USE AMONG PRIMARY-CARE PATIENTS - COMPARING AN HMO WITH COUNTY CLINICS AND THE GENERAL-POPULATION, Drug and alcohol dependence, 36(3), 1994, pp. 167-173
A probability sample of all patients seen in the four health maintenan
ce organization (HMO) primary care clinics in one Northern California
county (N = 314) are compared to patients from all five of the county-
operated primary care clinics in the same county (N = 394) and to the
general population of the county (N = 3069) on demographic characteris
tics, drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems. The HMO clinic p
atients were less likely to report frequent, heavy drinking, drunkenne
ss or alcohol-related problems during the last year compared to those
in the county clinics sample, and they were also less likely to report
heavy and problem drinking compared to those in the general populatio
n. These data suggest problem drinking may not be over-represented in
primary care practice in general, but rather may be more closely assoc
iated with characteristics of clientele served by a primary care pract
ice than with those characteristics associated with a need for medical
attention.