Alcohol-consumption trajectories and associated characteristics among adults older than age 50.
01 Mar 2010-Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (Rutgers University. Center of Alcohol Studies)-Vol. 71, Iss: 2, pp 169-179
TL;DR: There are substantial differences in drinking trajectories at the individual level in midlife and late life, and a problem-drinking history is predictive of alcohol consumption patterns in later life.
Abstract: Objective:This study examined changes in drinking behavior after age 50 and baseline personal characteristics and subsequent life events associated with different alcohol-consumption trajectories during a 14-year follow-up period. Method:Data were taken from the Health and Retirement Study. The study sample included individuals ages 51–61 in 1992 who survived the sample period (1992–2006) and had at least five interviews with alcohol consumption information, yielding an analysis sample of 6,787 (3,760 women). We employed linear regression to determine drinking trajectories over 1992–2006. Based on these findings, each sample person was classified into one of five drinking categories. We used multinomial logit analysis to assess the relationship between personal demographic, income, health, and attitudinal characteristics as well as life events and drinking-trajectory category. Results:Overall, alcohol consumption declined. However, rates of decline differed appreciably among sample persons, and for a mino...
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01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: Knowing the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between SES and alcohol outcomes should be applied toward the development of multilevel interventions that address not only individual-level risks but also economic disparities that have precipitated and maintained a disproportionate level of alcohol-related consequences among more marginalized and vulnerable populations.
Abstract: Socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the many factors influencing a person's alcohol use and related outcomes. Findings have indicated that people with higher SES may consume similar or greater amounts of alcohol compared with people with lower SES, although the latter group seems to bear a disproportionate burden of negative alcohol-related consequences. These associations are further complicated by a variety of moderating factors, such as race, ethnicity, and gender. Thus, among individuals with lower SES, members of further marginalized communities, such as racial and ethnic minorities and homeless individuals, experience greater alcohol-related consequences. Future studies are needed to more fully explore the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between SES and alcohol outcomes. This knowledge should be applied toward the development of multilevel interventions that address not only individual-level risks but also economic disparities that have precipitated and maintained a disproportionate level of alcohol-related consequences among more marginalized and vulnerable populations.
305 citations
TL;DR: Although the myth that older adults do not use mood-altering substances persists, evidence suggests that substance use among older adults has been underidentified for decades and projected rates of substance use to increase over the next twenty years.
291 citations
TL;DR: This is the first attempt to synthesise longitudinal data on alcohol consumption from several overlapping cohorts to represent the entire life course and illustrates the importance of recognising that this behaviour is dynamic.
Abstract: Background
Alcohol consumption patterns change across life and this is not fully captured in cross-sectional series data. Analysis of longitudinal data, with repeat alcohol measures, is necessary to reveal changes within the same individuals as they age. Such data are scarce and few studies are able to capture multiple decades of the life course. Therefore, we examined alcohol consumption trajectories, reporting both average weekly volume and frequency, using data from cohorts with repeated measures that cover different and overlapping periods of life.
187 citations
TL;DR: Results provide important new information on health behavior changes among those with chronic disease and suggest that intensive efforts are required to help initiate and maintain lifestyle improvements among this population.
Abstract: Objectives Understanding lifestyle improvements among individuals with chronic illness is vital for targeting interventions that can increase longevity and improve quality of life. Methods Data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study were used to examine changes in smoking, alcohol use, and exercise 2-14 years after a diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, or lung disease. Results Patterns of behavior change following diagnosis indicated that the vast majority of individuals diagnosed with a new chronic condition did not adopt healthier behaviors. Smoking cessation among those with heart disease was the largest observed change, but only 40% of smokers quit. There were no significant increases in exercise for any health condition. Changes in alcohol consumption were small, with significant declines in excessive drinking and increases in abstention for a few health conditions. Over the long term, individuals who made changes appeared to maintain those changes. Latent growth curve analyses up to 14 years after diagnosis showed no average long-term improvement in health behaviors. Discussion Results provide important new information on health behavior changes among those with chronic disease and suggest that intensive efforts are required to help initiate and maintain lifestyle improvements among this population.
144 citations
TL;DR: Low health literacy is negatively associated with health behaviors and social factors in older adults, but social factors seldom moderate the associations between health literacy and health behaviors.
Abstract: This study assesses the associations between health literacy and various health behaviors and social factors among older adults, and whether social factors moderate the other associations. Data from 3,241 participants in the LifeLines Cohort Study were analyzed (mean baseline age = 68.9 years). Data on health literacy, health behaviors (physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking, breakfast consumption, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI), and social factors (loneliness, social support, social activities, social contacts, and living situation) were collected in three waves. Logistic regression analyses were used, adjusted for age and gender. Low health literacy was associated with insufficient physical activity, insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption, lack of regular breakfast consumption, obesity (odds ratios (ORs) > 1.31, p-values < .005) and low alcohol use (OR = 0.81, p = .013), but not with smoking. Low health literacy was also associated with greater loneliness, enga...
97 citations
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TL;DR: The authors suggest that the most promising route to effective strategies for the prevention of adolescent alcohol and other drug problems is through a risk-focused approach.
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"Alcohol-consumption trajectories an..." refers background in this paper
...Other studies have reported contextual factors such as local laws and cultural norms, availability, neighborhood disorganization, and attitudes of peers have a signifi cant infl uence on occurrence of alcohol-related problems (Hawkins et al., 1992)....
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Abstract: The CAGE questionnaire, a new brief alcoholism screening test, was administered to all patients (N = 366; 39 percent alcoholic) admitted to a psychiatric service over a one-year period. The authors...
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"Alcohol-consumption trajectories an..." refers background in this paper
...There are several possible pathways underlying observed patterns of alcohol consumption by income: (a) increases in income are associated with increased demand for alcohol (Cook and Moore, 2000); (b) higher income could lead to more time working and less time for alcohol consumption, but full-time work status was unrelated to drinking category; and (c) educational attainment could be a marker for knowledge of health risks (Kenkel, 1991) and for cognitive capacity (Ganzach, 2000)....
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TL;DR: Assessment of the effects of alcohol consumption on 5 aspects of the epidemiology and treatment of diabetes: incidence, glycemic control, adherence to therapy and self-care behaviors, medication-associated complications, and disease complications concluded that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced incidence of diabetes mellitus.
Abstract: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk for developing diabetes mellitus and a decreased risk for heart disease in persons with diabetes. The long-term effects of alcohol c...
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