Are Baby Boomers hazardous drinkers as they age? An exploratory interRAI study

Abstract

ObjectiveAdults born between 1946 and 1964 ('Baby Boomers'; BBs) reportedly show an increase in alcohol use creating a critical focus for prevention. We studied age-specific alcohol use patterns in a national dataset.MethodsNew Zealanders 65 years and older who completed an international resident assessment instrument (interRAI-HC) interview were included.FindingsData from 166,524 participants was analysed (mean age, 82.3 ± 7.8 years; 100,315 (60.2%) females). Of these 14,382 were BBs (mean age, 67.8 ± 2.3 years; 7581 (52.7%) females). Alcohol use declined with age. The majority of interviewees did not use any alcohol in the last 14 days. Highest number of drinks in the last 14 days were significantly higher in BBs (Chi² = 647; DF = 3; p < .001). Hazardous drinking, defined as having had five or more drinks in any 'one sitting', was 3 times more frequent in BBs (2.99% vs 1.0%; p < .001). However, when fitting a logistic regression model to capture enough events, for those aged 68 to 74 this effect was reduced. Women had lower adjusted odds of hazardous drinking.ConclusionsSome BBs exhibit higher rates of hazardous alcohol use than older adults - the 'Silent Generation'. This calls for policy makers to raise awareness and offer prevention - especially to younger BBs.

Keywords: Baby Boomers; alcohol use; interRAI; older adults.