The aim of the study was to compare how alcohol was addressed in routine healthcare practice in Sweden in 2010 and 2017, following the 2011 implementation of national drinking guidelines.
Population-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2010 and in 2017. Subjects were 3200 respondents in 2010 (response rate 54%) and 3000 respondents in 2017 (response rate 51%) in Sweden. Both the 2010 and 2017 surveys collected data on: socio-demographics; alcohol consumption; healthcare visits in the past 12 months and characteristics of alcohol conversations in healthcare (duration, contents, experience and effects).
It was significantly more likely that respondents had a conversation about alcohol in healthcare in 2017 than in 2010 (OR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.27-1.75; P