Unhealthy Drinking Patterns in Older Adults: Prevalence and Associated Characteristics

Merrick, Elizabeth L.; Horgan, Constance M.; Hodgkin, Dominic; Garnick, Deborah W.; Houghton, Susan Feinman; Panas, Lee; Saitz, Richard; Blow, Frederic C.

doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01539.x

Cited by 182 publications

(205 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Nine percent of elderly Medicare beneficiaries (2003 data) reported at-risk drinking defined as either exceeding 30 drinks in a typical month in the past year or heavy episodic drinking (drinking four or more drinks on a single day). 12 In a study using 2005 and 2006 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 13 % of men and 8 % of women aged 65 and older reported drinking two or more drinks per day. 13 Although low to moderate levels of alcohol use can have health benefits, [14][15][16][17][18] the exact benefit dose is not known and may not be risk free.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drinking Patterns of Older Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions

et al. 2013

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BACKGROUND: Understanding alcohol consumption patterns of older adults with chronic illness is important given the aging baby boomer generation, the increase in prevalence of chronic conditions and associated medication use, and the potential consequences of excessive drinking in this population. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption patterns, including at-risk drinking, in older adults with at least one of seven common chronic conditions. DESIGN/METHODS: This descriptive study used the nationally representative 2005 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey linked with Medicare claims. The sample included community-dwelling, fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years and older with one or more of seven chronic conditions (Alzheimer's disease and other senile dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, and stroke; n=7,422). Based on selfreported alcohol consumption, individuals were categorized as nondrinkers, within-guidelines drinkers, or at-risk drinkers (exceeds guidelines). RESULTS: Overall, 30.9 % (CI 28.0-34.1 %) of older adults with at least one of seven chronic conditions reported alcohol consumption in a typical month in the past year, and 6.9 % (CI 6.0-7.8 %) reported at-risk drinking. Older adults with higher chronic disease burdens were less likely to report alcohol consumption and at-risk drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-third of older adults with selected chronic illnesses report drinking alcohol and almost 7 % drink in excess of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) guidelines. It is important for physicians and patients to discuss alcohol consumption as a component of chronic illness management. In cases of at-risk drinking, providers have an opportunity to provide brief intervention or to offer referrals if needed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drinking Patterns of Older Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions

et al. 2013

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“…10,11 Among late middle-aged U.S. adults (45-65 years), prevalence of past-year alcohol abuse or dependence is estimated to be 8.2 % for males and 2.9 % for females, 2,12 4-5 % of adults 55 and older report binge drinking in the past month, 13 and 9 % of adults over age 65 consume alcohol in excess of national guidelines. 14 Older adults may be more vulnerable to the negative health effects of alcohol than their younger counterparts due, in part, to interactions with prescription medications and less efficient metabolism of alcohol, which results in older adults having higher blood alcohol levels than younger adults after consuming a similar amount. 7,15,16 The population attributable risk of these vulnerabilities will increase sharply with the aging of the population coupled with possibly higher drinking levels in the baby boomer and younger cohorts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighborhood Psychosocial Hazards and Binge Drinking among Late Middle-Aged Adults

et al. 2013

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Older adults may be more vulnerable to negative health effects from alcohol as they age. Distress and adverse neighborhood conditions that provoke distress may influence drinking behavior. Using baseline data from the Baltimore Memory Study, a cohort study of adults aged 50-70 years living in 65 Baltimore City neighborhoods, we investigated the association between neighborhood psychosocial hazards (NPH) and the number of binge drinking days in the past month among non-abstainers (N0645). We used negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations to estimate the relative number of binge drinking days per month associated with a one standard deviation increase in NPH score. Residing in neighborhoods with more psychosocial hazards was independently associated with more binge drinking for females, but not for males. For females, each one standard deviation increase in NPH score was associated with a 1.52 relative risk of binge drinking (95 % confidence interval, 1.10, 2. 10) in the adjusted model. The findings were robust to a sensitivity analysis in which we used the average number of drinks per drinking occasion as an alternative outcome. Our findings provide evidence linking adverse neighborhood conditions with alcohol consumption in non-abstaining late middle-aged women, and suggest that late middle-aged men and women may have different reactions to adverse residential neighborhoods.

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“…The differences between young adults and the elderly are so marked that it has been suggested that the latter should drink no more than only one drink per day, if there are no absolute contraindications due to the presence of some disease or use of medication 6 . In spi-te of these higher risks, it is estimated that 9% of elderly people in the USA have an unhealthy drinking habit 7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol use and falls among the elderly in Metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil

et al. 2009

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The objectives of this study are to identify the pattern of alcohol use among the elderly and to analyze its association with falls. A populationbased survey was conducted in a sample of Metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil, using IntroductionRecently, the number of people aged over 60 has markedly increased in many parts of the world, particularly in low-and middle-income countries 1 . In Brazil, it is estimated that by the year 2050 almost 20% of the population will be over 65 years of age 2 , with a significant impact on financing the national health system 3 .Although alcohol consumption is usually lower among the elderly when compared to younger subjects, its negative consequences can be higher, due to age-related physiological changes. The elderly have increased body fat and a reduction of the body non-fat mass and water, as well as a decrease in hepatic metabolism 4 . As a consequence, alcohol blood levels increase and the elderly start to undergo adverse consequences of alcohol ingestion even without increasing consumption 4 . Another important problem is related to the fact that a considerable proportion of the elderly population is under some form of medication with potential interactions with alcohol. Paskulin & Viana 5 studied elderly people in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, and observed that only 23% of the sample did not use any medication. The differences between young adults and the elderly are so marked that it has been suggested that the latter should drink no more than only one drink per day, if there are no absolute contraindications due to the presence of some disease or use of medication 6 . In spi-ARTIGO ARTICLE

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Unhealthy Drinking Patterns in Older Adults: Prevalence and Associated Characteristics

Cited by 182 publications

References 34 publications

Drinking Patterns of Older Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions

Drinking Patterns of Older Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions

Neighborhood Psychosocial Hazards and Binge Drinking among Late Middle-Aged Adults

Alcohol use and falls among the elderly in Metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil

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