Integrated Digital System for Screening and Brief Intervention to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Consumption - PROSA eTIB

Introduction / Background Harmful alcohol consumption (HAC) is defined as an alcohol intake exceeding 14 standard drinks per week for men and 7 standard drinks per week for women, or the consumption of 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men and 4 or more drinks for women (binge drinking). This pattern of consumption is termed "harmful" due to its well-established association with significant social, economic, and health-related risks.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), one standard drink corresponds to 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is contained in one can of beer (355 ml), one glass of wine (150 ml), or one shot of distilled spirits (45 ml).

The observational clinical study entitled PROSA - Health & Alcohol Project - Evaluation of Alcohol Consumption Patterns in Heart Disease Patients and Non-Heart Disease Individuals has previously demonstrated that poor lifestyle habits are significantly associated with harmful alcohol consumption in both patients with heart disease and individuals without heart disease.

Since 1951, the World Health Organization (WHO) has actively promoted actions to combat harmful alcohol use. In 2018, the WHO launched the SAFER program, an acronym representing the five most effective evidence-based interventions against harmful alcohol use: 1) Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability; 2) Advance and enforce drink-driving countermeasures; 3) Facilitate access to screening, brief interventions, and treatment; 4) Enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship, and promotion; 5) Raise prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies.

Among these interventions, Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI), which corresponds to item 3 of the SAFER initiative, is endorsed by both the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) is the recommended instrument for classifying the risk associated with alcohol consumption within SBI protocols.