Comparison of Timeline Follow-Back and Averaging Methods for Quantifying Alcohol Consumption in Treatment Research

Abstract

There is as yet no consensus regarding how best to quantify alcohol consumption as an outcome measure in treatment research. Two commonly used methods were compared: the timeline follow-back procedure which reconstructs daily drinking via a calendar, and the grid averaging method employed in the Drinker Profile system. A sample of outpatients being treated for alcoholism was interviewed using both approaches. Similar, though not identical, consumption patterns were obtained with each measure accounting for approximately half of the variance in the other. The relative advantages of these two assessment approaches are considered.