Understanding How and Why Alcohol Interventions Prevent and Reduce Problematic Alcohol Consumption among Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Problematic alcohol use has been increasing in older adults (55+) in recent decades. Many of the effective interventions that are available to prevent or reduce the negative effects of alcohol consumption are aimed at adults in general. It is unclear whether these interventions also work for older adults. The objective of this review was to understand how (i.e., which elements), in which context, and why (which mechanisms) interventions are successful in preventing or reducing (problematic) alcohol consumption among older adults. A systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2022 was performed using PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and CHINAHL. Realist evaluation was used to analyze the data. We found 61 studies on interventions aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol use. Most of the interventions were not specifically designed for older adults but also included older adults. The findings of the current study highlight three major effective elements of interventions: (1) providing information on the consequences of alcohol consumption; (2) being in contact with others and communicating with them about (alcohol) problems; and (3) personalized feedback about drinking behavior. Two of these elements were also used in the interventions especially designed for older adults. Being in contact with others and communicating with them about (alcohol) problems is an important element to pay attention to for developers of alcohol interventions for older adults because loneliness is a problem for this age group and there is a relationship between the use of alcohol and loneliness.

Keywords: alcohol; effective elements; interventions; older adults; realist evaluation.

Figure 1

Flowchart.