Strengthening alcohol consumption screening in primary care for culturally diverse populations in Latin America: Adaptation and content and face validity of the AUDIT in Guaviare, Colombia
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
- 2Centro Javeriano de Oncología, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
- 3Research Line on Health Systems, Childhood, Gender, Interculturality and Tropical Diseases, Research Group on Public Health, Medical Education and Medical Professionalism, School of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
- 4Department of Language Studies, School of Communication and Language, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
- 5School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization developed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, widely used to detect alcohol consumption and guide interventions in primary care. Despite its broad use, evidence of its validity in culturally diverse settings remains limited. Although Spanish versions exist, none have been culturally adapted for Guaviare, a Colombian Amazon region with multicultural communities and socioeconomic and healthcare inequities. Such inequities may intensify alcohol consumption and related consequences. Without cultural adaptation, AUDIT screening may underestimate consumption and hinder effective primary-care interventions. Objective: This study aimed to culturally adapt and assess the content and face validity of the AUDIT in both interview and self-administered formats for alcohol consumption screening among adults in Guaviare, Colombia. Methods: This study followed a descriptive qualitative approach to guide the cultural adaptation and validation of a scale. Phase 1: cultural adaptation was conducted through consensus among researchers and a panel of community experts (n = 11), using a nominal group technique to prioritize adjustments from the community’s perspective. Phase 2: Field testing involved cognitive interviews (n = 18) to assess content and face validity, as well as semantic and technical equivalence. Additional cultural refinements were made based on participants’ feedback. Results: Cultural adaptations were made to the instructions, questions, and response options. Most adjustments focused on improving comprehension of the scale and guiding respondents to answer each item accurately. In addition, modifications were implemented to make the scale more recognizable and culturally appropriate for the community. Conclusion: This study shows that the culturally adapted AUDIT for adults in Guaviare demonstrates adequate content and face validity, representing the first validated version of the scale for this population. The findings underscore the importance of context-sensitive adaptations to ensure accurate identification of alcohol consumption and to strengthen primary care interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{lopezgonzalez2026strengthening,
title = {{Strengthening alcohol consumption screening in primary care for culturally diverse populations in Latin America: Adaptation and content and face validity of the AUDIT in Guaviare, Colombia}},
author = {Andrea López-González and Adriana Buitrago-López and Nelcy Rodríguez Malagón and Nicolás Martínez Ramos and Jhon Sebastián Patiño Rueda and Deyanira Sindy Moya Chaves and Dora Yonda Suns and Carlos Gómez-Restrepo},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359625},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359625},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Strengthening alcohol consumption screening in primary care for culturally diverse populations in Latin America: Adaptation and content and face validity of the AUDIT in Guaviare, Colombia
AU - Andrea López-González
AU - Adriana Buitrago-López
AU - Nelcy Rodríguez Malagón
AU - Nicolás Martínez Ramos
AU - Jhon Sebastián Patiño Rueda
AU - Deyanira Sindy Moya Chaves
AU - Dora Yonda Suns
AU - Carlos Gómez-Restrepo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359625
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359625
AB - Background: The World Health Organization developed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, widely used to detect alcohol consumption and guide interventions in primary care. Despite its broad use, evidence of its validity in culturally diverse settings remains limited. Although Spanish versions exist, none have been culturally adapted for Guaviare, a Colombian Amazon region with multicultural communities and socioeconomic and healthcare inequities. Such inequities may intensify alcohol consumption and related consequences. Without cultural adaptation, AUDIT screening may underestimate consumption and hinder effective primary-care interventions. Objective: This study aimed to culturally adapt and assess the content and face validity of the AUDIT in both interview and self-administered formats for alcohol consumption screening among adults in Guaviare, Colombia. Methods: This study followed a descriptive qualitative approach to guide the cultural adaptation and validation of a scale. Phase 1: cultural adaptation was conducted through consensus among researchers and a panel of community experts (n = 11), using a nominal group technique to prioritize adjustments from the community’s perspective. Phase 2: Field testing involved cognitive interviews (n = 18) to assess content and face validity, as well as semantic and technical equivalence. Additional cultural refinements were made based on participants’ feedback. Results: Cultural adaptations were made to the instructions, questions, and response options. Most adjustments focused on improving comprehension of the scale and guiding respondents to answer each item accurately. In addition, modifications were implemented to make the scale more recognizable and culturally appropriate for the community. Conclusion: This study shows that the culturally adapted AUDIT for adults in Guaviare demonstrates adequate content and face validity, representing the first validated version of the scale for this population. The findings underscore the importance of context-sensitive adaptations to ensure accurate identification of alcohol consumption and to strengthen primary care interventions.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -