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. 2017 Nov 1:180:260-264.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.027. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Age trends in rates of substance use disorders across ages 18-90: Differences by gender and race/ethnicity

Sara A Vasilenko  1 , Rebecca J Evans-Polce  2 , Stephanie T Lanza  3
Affiliations

Age trends in rates of substance use disorders across ages 18-90: Differences by gender and race/ethnicity

Sara A Vasilenko et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Background: Although research has documented age differences in substance use, less is known about how prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) vary across age and differ by gender and race/ethnicity.

Methods: Time-varying effect models (TVEMs) were estimated on data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC III; N=36,309), a nationally representative survey of the adult population. The sample was 44% male; 53% White, 21% Black, 19% Hispanic/Latino, 6% other race/ethnicity. Prevalence of four SUDs (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid use disorders) were flexibly estimated across ages 18-90 by gender and race/ethnicity.

Results: Estimated SUD prevalences were generally higher for men compared to women at most ages until the 70s. However, disparities by race/ethnicity varied with age, such that for most SUDs, estimated prevalences were higher for White participants at younger ages and Black participants at older ages.

Discussion: Results suggest relatively constant disparities by gender across age, and a crossover effect for Black and White participants. Findings demonstrate that Black individuals in midlife may be an important target of intervention programs for some substances.

Keywords: Age trends; Gender differences; Racial/ethnic differences; Substance use disorders; Time-varying effects modeling.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

No conflict declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Estimated proportion of substance use disorders across ages 18–90, by gender. Thick black lines represent estimate; thin grey lines represent 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated proportion of substance use disorders across ages 18–90, by race/ethnicity. Thick black lines represent estimate; thin grey lines represent 95% confidence intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Substances