Measuring alcohol use: "Quantity frequency variability" and "weekly recall" compared among Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to test the quality of the “Quantity Frequency Variability” (QFV) measure and the “Weekly Recall” (WR) measure among second-generation Turks and Moroccans in The Netherlands. Data were gathered in an experimental study conducted in 2002, in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. A sample of 744 second-generation Turks and 753 second-generation Moroccans, aged 16 years and older, was approached to participate in the study. The response rate was 40.3% among Turks and 37.5% among Moroccans, which resulted in 300 Turks (mean age 21.8, of which 51.7% were male) and 282 Moroccans (mean age 20.1, of which 44.9% were male) participating in the experimental study. Differences in item non-response rates and alcohol reports between both measures were analyzed among the drinking sample; i.e., 95 Turks (31.7%) and 26 Moroccans (9.2%). Data showed higher alcohol reports with the QFV measure compared to the WR measure. Furthermore, item non-response rates were significantly lower for the QFV measure compared to the WR measure. The results suggest that, compared to the WR measure, the QFV measure is a more appropriate instrument to study the prevalence of alcohol use among second-generation Turks and Moroccans. Limitations of the study are discussed.