Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Prior research suggests that the concurrent use of alcohol and prescription and/or over-the-counter medications can lead to a number of significant health problems; this is a particular salience for older adults, who take more medication than any other age group(Pringle, Ahern, Heller, Gold, & Brown, 2005). Despite older adults' increased risk of alcohol-medication interaction, limited research has focused on the rates and correlates of simultaneous alcohol and medication use in older adults outside of acute care settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence rates of concurrent alcohol and medication use among community-dwelling older adults. In addition, the analyses examined whether the simultaneous use of alcohol and medication varies by gender and race.

Methods:

Data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a population-based longitudinal study of older adults, were analyzed for this study. Participants completed a series of face-to-face and telephone interviews along with clinical examinations over a 10-year period between 1989 and 1999. The CHS cohort consists of 5,888 men and women ages 65 and older; the mean age of respondents is 72 and roughly 15% of the sample is African American. Among other topics on well-being, respondents answered detailed questions on their alcohol consumption and prescription medication use.

Results:

Fifty percent of study participants consumed alcohol on a weekly basis and 77% of respondents took at least 1 medication in the past 14 days. Analysis revealed that nearly 30% of the sample concurrently used alcohol with alcohol-interactive medications. Of those individuals who reported consuming alcohol on a weekly basis, 61% were taking one or more alcohol-interactive medications with over 18% of these respondents taking five or more alcohol-interactive medications. There were no gender differences in concurrent alcohol and medication use; Whites were significantly more likely than African Americans to concurrently use alcohol and medications.

Implications:

This study expands upon the existing literature regarding the rates and correlates of concurrent alcohol and medication use in community-dwelling older adults in an effort to develop knowledge that can aid in the creation of comprehensive programs and policy that effectively meet the needs of this population. Findings indicate a significant need for health care professionals to educate older adults about the dangers of concurrent alcohol-medication use. Additionally, it appears that there is a need for health campaigns focusing on the promotion of safer use of alcohol and medications by older adults.