University of the West of Scotland, UK.
Centre for Health and Development, Staffordshire University, UK.
Public Health. 2017 Jul;148:13-18. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2017.02.021. Epub 2017 Apr 3.
This paper presents findings of a qualitative study of older people's use of alcohol during retirement and identifies ways that an improved understanding of older people's drinking can inform policy approaches to alcohol and active and healthy ageing.
Qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with a self-selecting sample of retired people.
Participants were recruited from three geographical locations in the West of Scotland. A quota sampling design was used to ensure a broad spread of participants in terms of socio-economic position, age and gender. In total 40 participants were interviewed and the data analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's (2006) approach.
Amongst those who used alcohol, it was most often framed in terms of pleasure, relaxation, socialising and as a way to mark the passage of time. Alcohol was often associated with social occasions and interactions both in private and in public spaces. There were also many examples of the use of imposed routines to limit alcohol use and of a decreasing volume of alcohol being consumed as participants aged. This suggests that older people are often active in constructing what they regard as 'healthier' routines around alcohol use. However, processes and circumstances associated with ageing can lead to risk of social isolation and/or increased alcohol consumption. Such processes include retirement from paid work and other 'biographical disruptions' such as caring for a partner, bereavement and/or loss of social networks.
These findings highlight processes that can result in changes in drinking habits and routines. Whilst these processes can be associated with a reduction or cessation of alcohol use as people age, they can also be associated with increased risk of harmful alcohol consumption. Fractured or disrupted routines, particularly those associated with bereavement or the burden of caring responsibilities, through increasing the risk of loneliness and isolation, can construct increased risk of harmful alcohol consumption. These findings reframe the pathway of risk between ageing and alcohol-related harm by highlighting the vulnerability to harmful drinking practices brought by fracture or sudden change of routine. The findings point to a role for public health in supporting the reconstruction of routines that provide structure and meaning and can be used to actively manage the benefits and harms associated with drinking.
本文介绍了一项关于老年人退休后饮酒行为的定性研究结果，确定了更深入了解老年人饮酒行为的方法，为制定有关酒精和积极健康老龄化的政策提供了信息。
对自我选择的退休人群进行了半结构式定性访谈。
参与者是从苏格兰西部的三个地理位置招募的。采用配额抽样设计，以确保参与者在社会经济地位、年龄和性别方面广泛分布。共采访了 40 名参与者，并采用 Braun 和 Clarke（2006 年）的方法对数据进行了主题分析。
在那些饮酒的人中，饮酒往往被视为一种享受、放松、社交和纪念时间流逝的方式。酒精经常与社交场合和互动有关，无论是在私人场所还是在公共空间。还有许多例子表明，随着年龄的增长，人们经常积极构建他们认为更“健康”的饮酒习惯。然而，与衰老相关的过程和情况可能会导致社交孤立和/或饮酒量增加的风险。这些过程包括从有偿工作退休以及其他“传记性破坏”，如照顾伴侣、丧偶和/或失去社交网络。
这些发现强调了可能导致饮酒习惯和日常生活发生变化的过程。虽然这些过程可能与人们年龄增长时饮酒量减少或停止有关，但它们也可能与有害饮酒风险增加有关。破碎或中断的日常生活，特别是与丧偶或照顾责任负担有关的日常生活，通过增加孤独和孤立的风险，可能会增加有害饮酒的风险。这些发现通过强调因日常生活的断裂或突然变化而导致的有害饮酒行为的脆弱性，重新构建了衰老与酒精相关伤害之间的风险途径。研究结果表明，公共卫生在支持重建提供结构和意义的日常生活方面发挥作用，可以用于积极管理与饮酒相关的益处和危害。
