Search resultsAlcohol consumption and health status in very old veterans
Title
Alcohol consumption and health status in very old veterans
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2011
Authors
Journal
Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology
Volume
24
Issue
1
Pagination
39 - 43
Date published
2011
ISBN
08919887 (ISSN)
Keywords
Aged, 80 and over, alcohol, alcohol abstinence, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, article, Cross-Sectional Studies, cross-sectional study, Female, health, health status, Health Surveys, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, mental health, old age, physical health, priority journal, Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, self report, United States, veteran, Veterans
Abstract
Previous research has linked drinking with health, but has yet to address alcohol consumption and the relationship between drinking and health among very old veterans. To help fill this gap, the authors present a cross-sectional self-report study on 1105 veterans age 90 and older who completed the national Veteran's Affairs (VA) Survey of the Health Experiences of Patients (SHEP) for fiscal year (FY) 2005. Alcohol consumption was measured using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores (AUDIT-C).1 Health status was measured using the Veterans Rand Health Survey: VR-12.2 Among men (n = 1063), 60% were abstainers. No significant differences in mental health component (MCS; F3,1040 = 1.80, P =.15) or physical health component (PCS; F3,1040 = 1.48, P =.22) scores were detected across consumption categories. Among women (n = 42), 47% were abstainers. These results suggest many very old veterans abstain from alcohol and, among men, the associations between health status and drinking observed in younger groups may not be present in very old age.