Alcohol Screening in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Adolescents in Primary Care

Screening youth in the primary care setting is one way to identify adolescents who may be at-risk for future alcohol problems. The current study tests the new NIAAA screening guide questions, which ask about friend and adolescent drinking, to see how well these questions work to predict subsequent alcohol use, problems, and involvement in other risk behaviors, such as sexual risk-taking and delinquency. In addition, the investigators plan to provide a brief motivational intervention for some at-risk teens and see whether alcohol use differs for those teens who receive the intervention and those teens who receive enhanced usual care. The results of this study have the potential to significantly impact the standard of care for identifying and intervening with at- risk youth in primary care settings.