Alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking among community-dwelling older Australian men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project

• Published in: Australasian journal on ageing 2014-09, Vol.33 (3), p.185-192
• Main Authors: Ilomäki, Jenni, Gnjidic, Danijela, Le Couteur, David G, Bell, J Simon, Blyth, Fiona M, Handelsman, David J, Cumming, Robert G, Seibel, Markus J, Waite, Louise M, Naganathan, Vasi, Hilmer, Sarah N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging - psychology; alcohol drinking; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; Australia; binge drinking; Binge Drinking - epidemiology; Chronic Pain - epidemiology; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drinking Behavior; Drunkenness; Elderly; Health; Health Surveys; Humans; Independent Living; Logistic Models; Male; Males; men; New South Wales - epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Polypharmacy; Prevalence; Public Health; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Self Report; Sex Factors; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking - psychology; Widowhood - psychology
• ISSN: 1440-6381; 1741-6612
• DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12048

Aim To describe the prevalence and correlates of alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking among older Australian men. Method Self‐reported alcohol and tobacco use was assessed among a random sample of community‐dwelling men aged ≥70 years living in Sydney (n = 1705) from 2005 to 2007. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with alcohol and tobacco use. Results The prevalence of heavy/excessive drinking was 19.2%, daily drinking 33.7%, and binge drinking 14.1%. Daily drinking was associated with chronic pain (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.07–1.78). Binge drinking was associated with anxiety (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.05–3.54) and being widowed (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11–2.73). Six per cent of men were current smokers and 56.7% were former smokers. Former smoking was associated with polypharmacy (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.14–1.91) and each additional comorbid condition (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03–1.19). Conclusions Nearly one‐fifth of older men drank heavily or excessively. This highlights the need for public health initiatives to reduce alcohol consumption in older people.