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. 2019 Oct;67(10):2139-2144.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.16071. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

Binge Drinking Among Older Adults in the United States, 2015 to 2017

Benjamin H Han  1   2   3 , Alison A Moore  4 , Rosie Ferris  1 , Joseph J Palamar  2   3
Affiliations

Binge Drinking Among Older Adults in the United States, 2015 to 2017

Benjamin H Han et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Binge drinking is a risk factor for a range of harms. This study estimates the national prevalence of binge drinking and adds to our understanding of correlates of binge drinking among older adults in the United States.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting/participants: A total of 10 927 adults, aged 65 years or older, from the 2015 to 2017 administrations of the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Measurements: We estimated the prevalence of past-month binge alcohol use (five or more drinks on the same occasion for men and four or more drinks on the same occasion for women). Characteristics of past-month binge drinkers, including demographics, substance use, serious mental illness, mental health treatment utilization, chronic disease, and emergency department (ED) use, were compared to participants who reported past-month alcohol use without binge drinking. Comparisons were made using χ2 tests. We then used multivariable generalized linear models using Poisson and log link to examine the association between covariates and binge drinking among all past-month alcohol users aged 65 years or older.

Results: Of 10 927 respondents, 10.6% (95% CI = 9.9%-11.2%) were estimated to be current binge drinkers. Binge drinkers were more likely to be male, have a higher prevalence of current tobacco and/or cannabis use, and have a lower prevalence of two or more chronic diseases compared to nonbinge drinkers. In multivariable analysis, among past-month alcohol users, the prevalence of binge drinking was higher among non-Hispanic African Americans than whites (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.16-1.80), tobacco users (aPR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.33-1.74), cannabis users (aPR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.11-1.80), and those who visited the ED in the past year (aPR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.00-1.33).

Conclusion: Over a tenth of older adults in the United States are estimated to be current binge drinkers. Results confirm the importance of screening for binge drinking behaviors among older adults to minimize harms. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2139-2144, 2019.

Keywords: alcohol; binge drinking; epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflict of interests.

References

    1. Grant BF, Chou SP, Saha TD, et al. Prevalence of 12-month alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV alcohol use disorder in the United States, 2001–2002 to 2012–2013: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. JAMA Psychiat. 2017;74(9):911–923. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Han BH, Moore AA, Sherman S, Keys KM, Palamar JJ. Demographic trends of binge alcohol use and alcohol use disorders among older adults in the United States, 2005–2014. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017;170:198–207. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control, 2015. Fact Sheets - Binge Drinking. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm. Accessed April 5, 2019.
    1. Han BH, Moore AA. Prevention and screening of unhealthy substance use by older adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2017;34(1):117–129. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Han BH, Moore AA, Sherman S, Palamar JJ. Prevalence and correlates of binge drinking among older adults with multimorbidity. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2018;187:48–54. - PMC - PubMed

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