Table 3 Key characteristics of studies reported in this review
Author | Year | Country | Setting | Sample | N | Study design | Key findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Latin America | |||||||
Carneiro | 2018 | Brazil | Online survey with completers of a distance learning course | Health professionals or social workers, who had completed a 120-h distance learning course on alcohol and drugs, screening and BI 83% were women from the South and Southeast (68%) regions Patients with ASSIST scores higher than 11 for alcohol or 4 for other drugs and aged 18 or above | 2420 complete a online survey 25 of those implemented screening and BI 79 patients followed 3Â months after receiving BI | Online survey with course attenders and follow-up of patients receiving SBI | Most of course completers used SBI in their work and felt very motivated to do it Patients receiving SBI shower lower alcohol and cocaine/crack scores in ASSIST 3Â months after follow-up |
Conde | 2018 | Argentina | Public secondary schools | Adolescents Age: M = 15.14, SD = 1.46 (Screening only: M:15.2; Screening and evaluation: M:15.2; Screening, evaluation and intervention: M:15) 81% Male (Screening only: 75%; Screening and evaluation: 80%; Screening, evaluation and intervention: 90%) Abstainers: 9% (Screening only: 8%; Screening and evaluation: 8%; Screening, evaluation and intervention: 12%) | 167 (150 at follow-up) | RCT (two control groups (screening, screening and evaluation) and one experimental group (screening, assessment and intervention) | The intervention effectively reduced alcohol consumption and related problems in about one out of seven adolescents, with a minimal investment in training and implementation. However, we did not find significant differences in alcohol-related problems among the groups, which decreased under all conditions |
MartÃnez-MartÃnez | 2018 | Mexico | 350 Primary Care Units | Health professionals | 756 | Cross-sectional | Main barrier were amount of time taken to conduct an evaluation of the problem, that users do not complete the tasks assigned, their low educational, the user’s difficulties in going to the centre |
Poblete | 2017 | Chile | 9 primary care centres (n = 520), eight emergency rooms (n = 195) and five police stations (n = 91) | Non-treatment-seekers ASSIST scores higher than 11 for alcohol or 4 for other drugs 79% Male (Intervention); 78% Male (Control) Age: Mean 28.6 (SD: 7.8) Intervention; Mean 29.7 (SD: 8.3) (Control) | 806 (400 Intervention, 406 Control) | Open-label parallel-group trial | No difference between the two groups for the ASSIST, alcohol, cannabis or cocaine |
Reyes-RodrÃguez | 2017 | Colombia | Secondary schools | Adolescents (11–18 years) 52% Females 44% last month alcohol use prevalence | 3159 | Longitudinal (follow-up conducted between 1 and 7 months after first session) | Participants of the preventive program brief intervention based on Motivational Interviewing showed a reduction of the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption |
Andrade | 2016 | Brazil | 6 weeks web-based intervention to reduce alcohol use and related problems | Mean age 40 years 53.6% male 80.3% employed 68.6% college degree | 929 accessed the intervention 94 with 6-weeks follow-up data | Longitudinal | Heavy users reduced their alcohol consumption by 30–50% after baseline Dependent alcohol users were more adherent to the intervention than Harmful users |
Hoffman | 2016 | Peru | People living with HIV/AIDS | Tertiary hospital professionals attending people living with HIV/AIDS | Two focus groups: N = 51 Follow-up interviews after 6-months: N = 6 | Qualitative interviews and focus groups | Main barriers to BI implementation were: (1) the unknown extent of substance use within PLWHA, (2) space and time limitations hinder completion of brief interventions during routine visits, and (3) insufficient number of services to refer patients to substance use treatment appropriate for HIV patients |
MartÃnez MartÃnez | 2016 | Mexico | Workers from institutions providing BI | Purposive sample of key informants with experience with BI 28 to 57 years (Mean: 40.6, SD = 8.72) All Psychologists with 2–10 years of health and clinical experience | 16 | Qualitative interviews | Main barriers programs implementation were bureaucratic procedures and institutional policies, lack of knowledge of the theoretical bases of the program, and the diversity of users demanding the service |
Moretti-Pires | 2011 | Brazil | Primary health care | 136 health care professionals (9 doctors, 7 nurses, 120 health community agents) trained to use screening and BI | 136 health care professionals 667 screened patients | Mixed methods (focus groups and epidemiological data) | 25% of patients had a AUDIT score higher than 8 Main challenges to implement BI were the predominance of the biomedical approach, lack of continuity due to high professional rotation levels related to political reasons, difficulties to stabilize policies in places with limited access |
Natera Rey | 2011 | Mexico | Community health centres | Alcohol user relatives 18–65 years Women only Small communities (340 habitants) | 60 | Quasi-experimental | The group that received the intervention showed a significant reduction in physical and psychological symptoms and depression |
MartÃnez MartÃnez | 2010 | Mexico | Urban and rural adolescents attending high school | Adolescents (14–18 years) Binge drinkers in last 6 months, reporting at least one alcohol-related problem, and no dependence diagnosis | 58 | RCT (three groups: brief intervention, brief counselling and control group) | Both interventions groups showed reductions on alcohol use compared to control |
Ronzani | 2009 | Brazil | Primary Care Units from two municipalities | Primary healthcare professionals and managers from three cities Age: Municipality A was M: 37 years; in the other two M: 30 years Sex: Municipality A 92.5% were female; in the other two 71.2% were females | 113 | Mixed methods | Managers engagement and healthcare professionals’ integration were associated with greater effectiveness in implementing alcohol prevention strategies |
MartÃnez MartÃnez | 2008a | Mexico | High school/College | Adolescents (14–18 years), Binge drinkers in last 6 months, reporting at least one alcohol-related problem, and no dependence diagnosis | 40 | RCT | BI group showed lower alcohol use compared to a control group 3- and 6-months post-treatment |
MartÃnez MartÃnez | 2008b | Mexico | High school | Adolescents (14–18 years) with alcohol/drug abuse 76% Male Age: M:16, SD:1.8 17 alcohol users and 8 cannabis users | 25 | Longitudinal (single group with 1, 3- and 6-months follow-up) | Results showed a reduction on alcohol and cannabis use at follow-up |
Ronzani | 2005 | Brazil | Primary health care | Managers and primary health care professionals trained to use screening and BI | 45 (5 managers; 40 health care professionals) | Qualitative interviews | Participants reported difficulties in routinely implementing BI; Health care professionals limited BI use to alcohol-dependent patients and demonstrate lack of motivation for preventive work |
De Micheli | 2004 | Brazil | Outpatient treatment centre | Adolescents (10–19 years): COUM = M:15,5 (SD:2); CONUM = M:13 (SD:1,5); BI = M:15 (SD:1,5); PO = M:13,5 (SD:2) 50.5% Male Attenders of a outpatient care unit | 99 | RCT (four groups: a control group of users in the last month (COUM), a control group of non-users in the last month (CONUM), a Brief Intervention group (BI -in case they were regular users) and a Preventive Orientation group (PO—in case they were non users in the last month) | A single BI session with drug use showed a reduction on cannabis, alcohol and tobacco consumption after 6 months CONUM group showed at 6-month follow-up a significant increase in cannabis, alcohol and tobacco consumption, as well as in the intensity of related-problems |
India | |||||||
Jhanjee | 2017 | India | Community | Female only sample Mean age: 43 (13) Illiterate (61%), homemakers (69%), nuclear family (60%), married (79.0%) | 100 | Pilot randomised controlled trial | BI group were two times more likely to stop tobacco use compared to control group (simple advice) |
Nadkarni | 2017 | India | Primary care | Male only sample Mean age: 42.3 (11.8) treatment group and 41.7 (10.9) control group Married (78%) (treatment group) vs 154 (81%) (control group), employed: 163 (87%) (treatment group) vs 164 (87%) (control group), and completed at least primary education 147 (78%) (treatment group) vs 160 (85%) (control group) | 377 | Randomised controlled trial | Intervention was associated with short-term (over 3Â months) and sustained effects (over 12Â months) on drinking outcomes, including higher remission and 14-day abstinence rates |
Humeniuk | 2011 | India | Community health centres | Male only sample Mean age: 31.4 (9.3) Average years of education: 9.5 (SD = 5.2) Employed (94%) Married (34%) | 731 (total sample) 177 participants from India | Randomised controlled trial | BI group had significantly lower Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) total scores for illicit substance involvement at follow-up compared with the control participants (wait-list control), with stronger effects on cannabis and opioid use scores at the India site |
Pal | 2007 | India | Community | Male only sample Mean age: 29.7Â years (9.89) Married: (67.7%) | 90 | Non-randomised controlled trial | Decrease in severity of dependence as measured by alcohol use in the last 30Â days, composite alcohol severity index scores and improvement in physical and psychological quality of life, in those in the treatment group (BI) versus those in the control group (simple advice) |