Center for Health Care Evaluation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2010 Jan;14(1):33-43. doi: 10.1080/13607860902918264.
This study focused on the associations between older adults' health-related problems and their late-life alcohol consumption and drinking problems.
A sample of 719 late-middle-aged community residents (55-65 years old at baseline) participated in a survey of health and alcohol consumption and this survey was followed 10 years and 20 years later.
Health-related problems increased and alcohol consumption and drinking problems declined over the 20-year interval. Medical conditions, depressive symptoms, medication use, and acute health events were associated with a higher likelihood of abstinence; acute health events were also associated with less alcohol consumption. In contrast, reliance on alcohol to reduce pain was linked to more alcohol consumption. Moreover, an individual's overall health burden and reliance on alcohol to reduce pain were associated with more drinking problems. Reliance on alcohol to reduce pain potentiated the association between health burden, alcohol consumption and drinking problems.
Older adults who have more health problems and rely on alcohol to manage pain are at elevated risk for drinking problems. Health care providers should target high-risk older adults, such as those who drink to reduce pain, for screening and brief interventions to help them identify new ways to cope with pain and curtail their drinking.
本研究关注老年人健康问题与晚年饮酒和饮酒问题之间的关联。
本研究选取了 719 名中老年社区居民（基线时年龄为 55-65 岁）作为样本，参与了一项关于健康和饮酒的调查，该调查在 10 年后和 20 年后再次进行。
在 20 年的时间间隔内，健康相关问题增加，而饮酒和饮酒问题减少。身体状况、抑郁症状、用药和急性健康事件与戒酒的可能性更高相关；急性健康事件也与饮酒量减少有关。相比之下，依赖酒精来减轻疼痛与更多的饮酒量有关。此外，一个人的整体健康负担和依赖酒精来减轻疼痛与更多的饮酒问题有关。依赖酒精来减轻疼痛会加剧健康负担、饮酒和饮酒问题之间的关联。
健康问题较多且依赖酒精来缓解疼痛的老年人饮酒问题的风险更高。医疗保健提供者应针对高风险的老年人，如那些为了缓解疼痛而饮酒的人，进行筛查和简短干预，帮助他们寻找新的方法来应对疼痛和减少饮酒。
