Survey Reveals Binge Drinking Among Older Adults

August 17, 2009

(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the largest surveys of substance use has found a remarkable amount of binge-drinking among older Americans. The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, were reported by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 22 percent of men and 9 percent of aged 50 to 64 reported binge drinking -- five or more drinks at a time -- within the last month. In this age group, "at-risk" drinking -- two or more drinks per day -- was found among 19 percent of men and 13 percent of women.

The group aged 65 and up reported binge drinking in 14 percent of men and 3 percent of women. "At-risk" drinking was found among 13 percent of men and eight percent of women in this age group.

"A surprising number of older Americans are engaging in drinking patterns that are putting their health at risk, yet these problems often go unrecognized," said Dan G. Blazer MD, PhD, the study's lead author and JP Gibbons Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke. "With this study we've learned that adults, especially those in their fifties, are carrying a heavier drinking burden into late life."

Blazer explained that this trend illustrates a potentially greater problem in the future as the baby boomer generation ages. He said that if their current drinking habits continue into their senior years, they could be compounding health problems that typically arise as the body's natural defenses are weakened. The negative health effects of binge drinking can range from minor injuries to more serious problems, such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and poor diabetes control.

The authors propose a more rigorous use of screening for substance use and brief intervention or counseling to address the rise in alcohol use.

"Middle age and older adults may be easy to miss for at-risk or binge drinking because most clinicians are focused on behaviors among young people, such as those in college," Blazer said. "They also don't show the typical signs of alcohol dependence."

A nationally representative survey of nearly 11,000 men and women over 50 asked about their use of alcohol over the last year and the usual number of drinks they consumed on a drinking day during the past 30 days. The survey was conducted in 2005 and 2006. Binge drinking and at-risk drinking were defined by American Geriatrics Society Guidelines.

Other findings from the study include:

• Overall 66 percent of men and 55 percent of women reported alcohol use during the past year.
• Binge drinking was more common among those with a higher income and people who use tobacco and illicit drugs.
• Caucasian (19 percent), African-American (21 percent) and Hispanic (25 percent) men had a higher prevalence of binge drinking than other ethnic groups (14 percent).
• African-American women had a higher prevalence of binge drinking relative to Caucasian women (10 percent vs. 6 percent).
• Being separated, divorced or widowed was associated with at-risk and binge drinking among men. Non-medical use of prescription drugs was associated with in women.

Provided by Duke University (news : web)

1.5 /5 (2 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

dirk_bruere
Aug 17, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
LOL! The Nanny State arrives on US shores.
Rank 1.5 /5 (2 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Is Everyday Technology Killing Us?
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Exercise and weight loss
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Why do we have head aches? Our brains can't feel anything.
    createdFeb 07, 2012
  • "The end of diseases" by David Agus, interview from Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Oncolytic adenovirus
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Nutrition label stuffs and diets
    createdFeb 02, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

Curry spice component may help slow prostate tumor growth

Curcumin, an active component of the Indian curry spice turmeric, may help slow down tumor growth in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a study from researchers ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 14 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Arthritic knees, but not hips, have robust repair response

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center used new tools they developed to analyze knees and hips and discovered that osteoarthritic knee joints are in a constant state of repair, while hip joints are not.

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 24 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

To avoid early labor and delivery, weight and diet changes not the answer

One of the strongest known risk factors for spontaneous or unexpected preterm birth – any birth that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy, most often without a known cause – is already having had one. For women ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 34 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Joint patent for using the BRCA1 gene as a therapy for cardiovascular disease

St. Michael's Hospital and King Saud University have received their first joint U.S. patent to use the BRCA1 gene as a therapy for cardiovascular disease.

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created 50 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Orthopaedic surgery report provides transparency on patient safety, quality initiatives

At NYU Langone Medical Center the focus on quality, patient safety and patient experience are not just broad stroke initiatives – but measureable, quantifiable and concrete. Patients and health care professionals can ...

Medicine & Health / Other

created 49 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Experts reveal how plants don't get sunburn

(PhysOrg.com) -- Experts at the University of Glasgow have discovered how plants survive the harmful rays of the sun.

Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials

Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...

Unpicking HIV’s invisibility cloak

Drug researchers hunting for alternative ways to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections may soon have a novel target—its camouflage coat. HIV hides inside a cloak unusually rich in a sugar ...

What lies beneath: Mapping hidden nanostructures

The ability to diagnose and predict the properties of materials is vital, particularly in the expanding field of nanotechnology. Electron and atom-probe microscopy can categorize atoms in thin sheets of material, ...

Netflix light on flicks as viewers soak up TV shows

Like most fresh faces that arrive in Hollywood, Netflix wanted to be a movie star. But now it's learning what many in Tinseltown have known for decades: Movies are sexy, but the real money is in television.

Sony's Hirai refuses to abandon dire TV business

Struggling Japanese entertainment giant Sony will not abandon its cash-bleeding television business, its incoming CEO says, but he acknowledges tough decisions lie ahead including over redundancies.