Published in:
01-02-2014 | Original Research
The Prevalence of Harmful and Hazardous Alcohol Consumption in Older U.S. Adults: Data from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 2/2014
Login to get accessBACKGROUND
Alcohol consumption and its interaction with disease, medication use, and functional status may result in serious health problems, but little information exists about the national prevalence of alcohol-related health risk in older adults.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of harmful and hazardous alcohol use and the prevalence of consumption in excess of National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommendations, in people aged 65 and older, and by sex and race/ethnicity sub-group.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional, using data from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of the non-institutionalized U.S. population.
PARTICIPANTS
One thousand and eighty-three respondents aged 65 and older who consume alcohol.
MAIN MEASURES
Participants’ alcohol consumption was classified as Harmful, Hazardous, or Healthwise, in the context of their specific health status, using the Alcohol-Related Problems Survey classification algorithm.
KEY RESULTS
Overall, 14.5 % of older drinkers (95 % CI: 12.1 %, 16.8 %) consumed alcohol above the NIAAA’s recommended limits. However, when health status was taken into account, 37.4 % of older drinkers (95 % CI: 34.9 %, 40.0 %) had Harmful consumption and 53.3 % (95 % CI: 50.1 %, 56.6 %) had either Hazardous or Harmful consumption. Among light/moderate drinkers, the proportions were 17.7 % (95 % CI: 14.7 %, 20.7 %) and 28.0 % (95 % CI: 24.8 %, 31.1 %), respectively. Male drinkers had significantly greater odds of Hazardous/Harmful consumption than female drinkers (OR = 2.14 [95 % CI: 1.77, 2.6]). Black drinkers had worse health status and significantly greater odds of Hazardous/Harmful consumption than white drinkers (OR = 1.49; 95 % CI: 1.02, 2.17), despite having no greater prevalence of drinking in excess of NIAAA-recommended limits.
CONCLUSION
Most older Americans who drink are light/moderate drinkers, yet substantial proportions of such drinkers drink in a manner that is either harmful or hazardous to their health. Older adults with risky alcohol consumption are unlikely to be identified by health care providers if clinicians rely solely on whether patient consumption exceeds the NIAAA-recommended limits.