Prevalence of alcohol consumption among older persons.

Percent prevalences of alcohol consumption were determined in a cross-sectional study of randomly chosen residents of San Diego County, California aged 45 years and over. The study sample (N = 2,105) showed statistically significant drinking differences between Whites (n = 819), Blacks (n = 629), and Mexican-Americans (n = 657). Overall, the highest prevalence of drinking occurred among the White elderly. The common belief that socioeconomic conditions are inversely associated with a high prevalence of drinking was not supported in this sample. Statistically significant differences in age-specific and sex-specific percent prevalences of alcohol intake were also found. There was a generally decreasing prevalence of alcohol consumption with advancing age, which existed regardless of ethnicity. Initial empirical measures and a better understanding of drinking correlates will identify those elderly persons at risk and provide the basis for future interventions in the areas of applied epidemiology and health promotion.