Are older hazardous and harmful drinkers less likely to participate in health-related behaviors and practices as compared with nonhazardous drinkers?

OBJECTIVES: To describe the (1) prevalence of at-risk drinking and particip ation in health-related behaviors and practices and (2) associations of at- risk drinking with other health-related behaviors and practices among older persons completing a health-risk appraisal for the elderly (HRA-E). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using data from a self-administered, mailed s urvey sample. SETTINGS: Persons from three organizations were surveyed: (1) the American Association of Retired Persons; and (2) a large medical group and (3) a com munity-based senior health center in southern California. PARTICIPANTS: 1,889 persons age 55 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: The HRA-E included items on health characteristics, drinking behaviors (including amount of alcohol use and two alcoholism screening mea sures: the CAGE (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye opener) and Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test-Geriatric version (SMAST-G), and participation in selected health-related behaviors and practices. Social drinkers were defi ned as those who drank fewer than 14 drinks weekly and screened negative on the CAGE (defined as two or more "no" responses) and SMAST-G. Hazardous dr inkers drank fewer than 14 drinks weekly and screened negative. Harmful dri nkers drank fewer than 14 drinks weekly and screened positive. Possible at- risk drinkers drank 14 or more drinks weekly and screened positive. Least s quares regression models were used to assess the effects of haz;ardous, har mful, and possible at-risk drinking on each of the health-related practices and behaviors. We also conducted these analyses using three other definiti ons of social, possible at-risk, hazardous, and harmful drinking. RESULTS: Of all respondents, 40% were social drinkers, 3% were harmful drin kers, 2% were hazardous drinkers, and 11% were possible at-risk drinkers. H azardous, harmful, and possible at-risk drinkers commonly reported driving after drinking or being driven by someone who had been drinking (67%, 76%, and 64% respectively). Harmful and possible at-risk drinkers were more like ly than social drinkers to smoke and were less likely to use seatbelts regu larly. These findings were observed regardless of how the drinking groups w ere defined. CONCLUSION: All groups of at-risk drinkers more commonly engaged in selecte d adverse health-related behaviors and practices than did social drinkers.