The relationship between alcohol problems and health functioning of older adults in primary care settings

Citation
Fc. Blow et al., The relationship between alcohol problems and health functioning of older adults in primary care settings, J AM GER SO, 48(7), 2000, pp. 769-774
Citations number
44
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","General & Internal Medicine
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
ISSN journal
00028614 → ACNP
Volume
48
Issue
7
Year of publication
2000
Pages
769 - 774
Database
ISI
SICI code
0002-8614(200007)48:7<769:TRBAPA>2.0.ZU;2-S
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship betw een alcohol use and health functioning in a sample of older adults screened in primary care settings. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Thirty-seven primary care clinics . PARTICIPANTS: Older adults in = 8578; aged 55-97) with regularly scheduled appointments in primary care clinics were screened. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were categorized based on alcohol consumption le vels as abstainers, low-risk drinkers, and at-risk drinkers (women: 9 or mo re drinks/week; men: 12 or more drinks/week). Dependent variables were eigh t SF-36 health functioning scales. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of participants were abstainers, 31% were low-ri sk, drinkers, and 7% were at-risk drinkers. ANCOVAs found significant effec ts of drinking status on General Health, Physical Functioning, Physical Rol e Functioning, Bodily Pain, Vitality, Mental Health, Emotional Role, and So cial Functioning, controlling fur age and gender, with low-risk drinkers sc oring significantly better than abstainers. At-risk drinkers had significan tly poorer mental health functioning than low-risk drinkers. Few significan t gender differences were found on SF-36 scales. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults who are at-risk drinkers may not present with pou r physical health functioning. Future studies are needed to determine the r elationship between drinking limits for older adults and other areas of phy sical and psychosocial health.