(Revised) The overarching goal of this proposal is to provide support for the career development activities that will enable the candidate to become an independent investigator in the field of alcohol research, particularly in the area of detection and prevention of alcohol problems and their intersection with infectious diseases. Whereas alcohol problems and infectious diseases represent significant health problems for adolescents and young adults, a majority of youth do not receive recommended assessment and prevention services for these health issues.
The specific aims of the research proposal are 1) to identify the extent to which alcohol use behaviors and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are associated with acquisition of Infectious diseases; 2) to determine the extent to which alcohol use behavior and AUD interferes with timely utilization of diagnostic and treatment services for infectious diseases; and 3) to determine the effect of alcohol use behavior and AUD on utilization of health services. These issues will be examined through a cross-sectional study of 488 adolescents and young adults (age 15-24) who will be tested for infectious diseases, and will complete a detailed assessment of alcohol consumption behaviors, demographics, and health care utilization patterns. The findings will identify barriers to the timely receipt of assessment, prevention and treatment services for alcohol problems, and will provide targets for future interventions to improve delivery of these health services. The proposal also includes a career development plan to obtain additional knowledge, skills and experience in assessment and diagnosis of alcohol problems, an understanding of client characteristics that affect health service utilization, and health system organization characteristics that influence delivery of health services. The career development plan and supervised research experience will provide the candidate with the training necessary to become an independent clinical investigator in the area of alcohol research and infectious diseases within the health services delivery system.
