Among the 80+ there will be almost 434 million people worldwide. By 2050, the number of adults aged 60+ will nearly double from 12% to 22% and is expected to exceed 2 billion. Older adults are living longer and can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. The 65+ segment of our population is rising firmly. Conclusion: The AUDIT-C is accurate and sufficient in screening for hazardous drinking in community-dwelling older adults if the cut-offs are tailored by gender. We found the AUDIT-C to perform well with an optimal cut-off of ≥5 for men and ≥4 for women, which generated in men sensitivity and specificity values respectively of 76.5% and 85.3% and in women 100% and 74.1%, respectively. For the AUDIT the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity was using a cut-off of ≥5 for men and ≥4 for women, which yielded in men sensitivity and specificity values respectively of 80.7% and 81.3% and in women 100% and 71.7%, respectively. Results: Respectively 27.3% and 12.3% of older men and women drank >10 units/week. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves of AUDIT and AUDIT-C were calculated and cut-off scores were derived. Hazardous drinking was defined as drinking >10 units/week. Method: A sample of 1577 older adults completed a questionnaire regarding alcohol behavior.

The aim of the present study is to determine the cut-offs of both instruments in identifying hazardous drinking in older adults. Background: One of the best-known tools in screening for hazardous drinking is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and its abbreviated form, the AUDIT-C.

Reliability and validity of audit scale