Brief Report
Alcohol Use Among Older Persons in a Rural State

https://doi.org/10.1097/00019442-200211000-00014Get rights and content

Objective

Older individuals are vulnerable to adverse consequences from alcoholism; unfortunately, alcohol-related problems are often under-identified in this group.

Methods

We characterized the demographic features of alcohol use among older adults (over age 65) in a statewide community survey.

Results

Approximately 15% were at risk for alcoholism. As a group, the at-risk individuals were younger than the remaining sample. Twenty percent indicated that they had previously tried unsuccessfully to stop drinking, but only 10% had received any type of treatment

Conclusions

This low rate of treatment intervention implies a need for enhanced recognition of alcoholism among older adults in rural settings.

Section snippets

Methods

We examined alcohol use among older Iowans by characterizing the frequency and extent of the problem. This was accomplished using information from the Iowa Department of Public Health Adult Household Survey of Substance Use and Treatment Needs,7 conducted by use of random-digit dialing methods in a community sample. From these data, we characterized the quantity and frequency of alcohol use in people over the age of 65 years as well as a number of other clinical characteristics, as described

Results

The community sample that was surveyed totaled 6,163 respondents. This study addresses the 1,544 identified respondents who were 65 years of age or older. Of these 1,544 respondents, 225 (14.6%) met study criteria for at-risk status. Of the remaining 1,319 respondents who were not at risk, 290 (22.0%) reported that they used alcohol infrequently, typically less than once per month, and 880 (57.0%) reported no alcohol use at all in the past 18 months. In terms of frequency and quantity of use,

DISCUSSION

This study has demonstrated that older respondents in a Midwestern rural state appear to have a similar likelihood of alcohol problems as those studied in previous reports from other settings.9 These data also demonstrate that only a small proportion, fewer than 10%, received any type of treatment for alcoholism. Whether this lack of treatment is due to specific barriers that are unique to a rural state cannot be identified within the scope of these data, although it is certainly an important

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Cited by (7)

  • Older admissions to substance abuse treatment in 2001

    2005, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
    Citation Excerpt :

    Many of the older admissions listed no previous treatment. This lack of previous treatment replicates findings from other older populations, for example, a random sample of elderly Iowans16 and elderly state prison inmates.17 Most of the older admissions, male and female, listed drinking in a daily pattern, so that physical dependence may be likely.

  • Alcohol use in later life: Scourge, solace, or safeguard of health?

    2002, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Problem drinking and associated factors in older adults in South Africa

    2013, African Journal of Psychiatry (South Africa)
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This work was supported, in part, by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Contract No. 270-96-0011, Subcontract No. V08839, and the Iowa Department of Public Health.

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