While drinking is certainly something that should be reserved for those old enough to handle it, it does not always guarantee responsible drinking. In fact, there are a number of individuals 60 years and older who are consuming amounts too large to be healthy.
According to a Science Daily report, researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that more than a third of individuals in this age group consume alcohol amounts that are considered excessive or that are potentially harmful in combination with certain diseases they may have or medications they may be taking.
Researchers examined data from 3,308 older patients accessing primary care clinics around Santa Barbara, California. Based on their findings, researchers report just as many individuals were at risk from alcohol consumption in combination with comorbidities or medication as from alcohol consumption alone.
"Compared to the U.S. Census population over age 60, the sample studied was more likely to be white, married, well-educated and high-income," said lead study author Andrew Barnes in the Science Daily. Barnes is a researcher in the UCLA School of Public Health's department of health services.
Using the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool (CARET), older adults were considered at risk drinkers if they consume more than two drinks on most days; consume one to two drinks on most days and have certain comorbidities such as gout, hepatitis or nausea; or consume one to two drinks on most days and take select medications.
Specific findings show that 34.7 percent of older adults were at risk; 19.5 percent fell into multiple risk categories; of those at risk, 56.1 percent fell into at least two risk categories and 31 percent fell into three; those who had not graduated from high school had 2.5 times the odds of at-risk drinking; those with higher household incomes were at greater risk; risk decreased with age; and Asians had less than half the odds of at-risk drinking than Caucasians.
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