Alcohol Use Among Older Persons in a Rural State

Older individuals are vulnerable to adverse consequences from alcoholism; unfortunately, alcohol-related problems are often under-identified in this group. We characterized the demographic features of alcohol use among older adults (over age 65) in a statewide community survey. Approximately 15% wer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2002-11, Vol.10 (6), p.750-753
Main Authors: Schultz, Susan K., Arndt, Stephan, Lutz, Gene M., Petersen, Amy, Turvey, Carolyn L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcoholism - psychology
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Iowa
Male
Regression Analysis
Retrospective Studies
Rural Population
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Summary:Older individuals are vulnerable to adverse consequences from alcoholism; unfortunately, alcohol-related problems are often under-identified in this group. We characterized the demographic features of alcohol use among older adults (over age 65) in a statewide community survey. 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 This low rate of treatment intervention implies a need for enhanced recognition of alcoholism among older adults in rural settings.
ISSN:1064-7481
1545-7214
DOI:10.1097/00019442-200211000-00014