Published in:
01-01-2007 | Original Article
Alcohol Consumption Among Older Adults in Primary Care
Authors:
JoAnn E. Kirchner, MD, Cynthia Zubritsky, PhD, Marisue Cody, PhD, RN, Eugenie Coakley, MA, MPH, Hongtu Chen, PhD, James H. Ware, PhD, David W. Oslin, MD, Herman A. Sanchez, MBA, U. Nalla B. Durai, MD, Keith M. Miles, MPA, Maria D. Llorente, MD, Giuseppe Costantino, PhD, Sue Levkoff, ScD, MSW, SM
Published in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
Issue 1/2007
Login to get access
Background
Alcohol misuse is a growing public health concern for older adults, particularly among primary care patients.
Objectives
To determine alcohol consumption patterns and the characteristics associated with at-risk drinking in a large sample of elderly primary care patients.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis of multisite screening data from 6 VA Medical Centers, 2 hospital-based health care networks, and 3 Community Health Centers.
Participants
Patients, 43,606, aged 65 to 103 years, with scheduled primary care appointments were approached for screening; 27,714 (63.6%) consented to be screened. The final sample of persons with completed screens comprised 24,863 patients.
Measurements
Quantity and frequency of alcohol use, demographics, social support measures, and measures of depression/anxiety.
Results
Of the 24,863 older adults screened, 70.0% reported no consumption of alcohol in the past year, 21.5% were moderate drinkers (1–7 drinks/week), 4.1% were at-risk drinkers (8–14 drinks/week), and 4.5% were heavy (>14 drinks/week) or binge drinkers. Heavy drinking showed significant positive association with depressive/anxiety symptoms [Odds ratio (OR) (95% CI): 1.79 (1.30, 2.45)] and less social support [OR (95% CI): 2.01 (1.14, 2.56)]. Heavy drinking combined with binging was similarly positively associated with depressive/anxiety symptoms [OR (95%): 1.70 (1.33, 2.17)] and perceived poor health [OR (95% CI): 1.27 (1.03, 1.57)], while at-risk drinking was not associated with any of these variables.
Conclusions
The majority of participants were nondrinkers; among alcohol users, at-risk drinkers did not differ significantly from moderate drinkers in their characteristics or for the 3 health parameters evaluated. In contrast, heavy drinking was associated with depression and anxiety and less social support, and heavy drinking combined with binge drinking was associated with depressive/anxiety symptoms and perceived poor health.