Reliability of self-reported alcohol consumption in a general population survey.

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Abstract
Reliability estimates for the measures of alcohol consumption used in a household survey were examined. Respondents who had not consumed any alcohol within the previous year and those under age 18 yr were excluded from the survey, yielding a sample of 1395 (48% men). With 1 survey that involved a 2-wk recall period and another that involved a 4-wk period, 3 methods for estimating reliability were employed: alternate forms, test-retest and a combined method. Validity was also examined using a 30-day drinking diary as a criterion. The findings indicate high levels of reliability, averaging .91 for the consumption measures of beer, wine and distilled spirits. Validity estimates were also fairly substantial but not uniformly so across the different beverage types. These consumption measures can apparently be used with considerable confidence.

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