Measuring alcohol use among adolescents in Africa: A systematic scoping review of consumption, screening and assessment tools

Seekles, Maaike ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7000-3624, Briegal, Eleanor, Biggane, Alice and Obasi, Angela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6801-8889 (2023) 'Measuring alcohol use among adolescents in Africa: A systematic scoping review of consumption, screening and assessment tools'. Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol 42, Issue 6, pp. 1375-1394.

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Abstract

Issues:
Globally, adolescent drinking is a major public health concern. Alcohol measurements are influenced by local consumption practices, patterns and perceptions of alcohol‐related harm. This is the first review to examine what tools are used to measure alcohol consumption, or screen for or assess harmful use in African adolescents, and how these tools take into account the local context.

Approach:
A systematic scoping review was conducted in line with the Arksey and O'Malley framework. A search in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Global Health and the Cochrane Database covered the period of 2000–2020.

Key Findings:
The search identified 121 papers across 25 African countries. A range of single‐ and multi‐item tools were identified. Very few adaptations of existing questions were specified, and this search identified no tools developed by local researchers that were fundamentally different from established tools often designed in the USA or Europe. Inconsistencies were found in the use of cut‐off scores; many studies used adult cut‐off scores.

Implications and Conclusion:
The possible impact of African drinking practices and culture on the accuracy of alcohol screening tools is currently unknown, but is also not taken into account by most research. This, in combination with a limited geographical distribution of alcohol‐related research across the continent and inconsistent use of age‐ and gender‐specific cut‐off scores, points towards probable inaccuracies in current data on adolescent alcohol use in Africa.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	WS Pediatrics > By Age Groups > WS 460 Adolescence (General)
Faculty: Department:	Clinical Sciences & International Health > International Public Health Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13715
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User:	JISC Pubrouter
Date Deposited:	13 Jul 2023 13:50
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2023 14:03
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/22795

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