Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1
Screening and Counseling Rates for Tobacco Use, Obesity, and Alcohol Misuse Among US Adults Aged 35 Years and Older, 2014
Measure Weighted %a (95% CI) Receiving Recommended Services, % Screened, % Screening Positive, % (Of Those Who Were Screened) Counseled, % (Of Those Who Screened Positive) Tobacco use 61.9 (59.4-64.3) 66.2 (63.9-68.6) 21.6 (18.9-24.3) 71.1 (65.3-76.9) Obesity 64.2 (61.7-66.8) 78.6 (76.4-80.9) 39.2 (36.3-42.2) 53.5 (48.7-58.3) Alcohol misuse 41.0 (38.8-43.3) 48.5 (46.1-50.8) 20.0 (16.9-23.3) 24.4 (17.7-31.1) MEPS = Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; PSAQ = Preventive Care Self-Administered Questionnaire.
↵a These weighted estimates using the PSAQ subsample (n = 2,186) represent a population size of 170,400,202 adults aged 35 years and older. The unweighted counts and denominators are not provided because they should not be interpreted without accounting for the sampling design of MEPS and the PSAQ.
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
The Practice Gap: National Estimates of Screening and Counseling for Alcohol, Tobacco, and Obesity
Paul R. Shafer , and colleagues
Background Tobacco use, lack of physical activity and poor diet, and alcohol consumption are leading causes of death in the United States and the US Preventive Services Task Force has developed recommendations aimed at reducing their prevalence. This study estimates screening and counseling rates using a nationally representative sample of adults.
What This Study Found Based on a survey of 2,186 adults, researchers estimated appropriate screening and counseling rates for tobacco use, obesity, and alcohol misuse. They found that receipt of recommended levels of services ranged from nearly two-thirds (64 percent for obesity and 62 percent for tobacco use) to less than half (41 percent for alcohol misuse).
Implications
- The authors note that while there is significant room for improving screening and counseling rates, primary care practices will likely need additional resources to effectively do so. For example, counseling can be provided within primary care or referred from primary care, and strategies are available.
- Because solutions may vary, the authors call for approaches that take into account the local environment in order to balance the many competing demands of primary care.
