RESUMO
Background: AUDIT is a self-reported questionnaire used to detect problem drinkers. It must be translated into Spanish and validated in order to be used in Chile. Aim: To assess the validity of a Chilean version of the AUDIT questionnaire. Material and methods: The English version of the questionnaire was translated into Spanish and adapted to the Chilean cultural environment. Using the Delphi method, an expert group examined the text and then decided on which would be the definitive version. This test was translated to English again and was approved by one of the original authors. It was then applied to 93 subjects aged 37 ± 12 years (60 percent males) consulting at a primary health care center These subjects also answered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), version 2.1 that was used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence. Cronbach alpha and test-retest validity were analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity were determined using receiver operating (ROC) curves. Results: The internal consistency of AUDIT was 0.93, its test re-tests reliability was 0.97 (95 percent confidence intervals 0.96-0.98). Using a cutoff point of 6 for hazardous consumption, its sensitivity and specificity were 83 percent and 88 percent, respectively. The figures for dependence and harmful consumption, using a cutoff point of 9, were 87 percent and 85 percent, respectively. Conclusions: AUDIT is a valid questionnaire to detect problem drinkers.