Life Course Transitions and Changes in Alcohol Consumption Among Older Irish Adults: Results From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Holton, Alice; Boland, Fiona; Gallagher, Paul; Fahey, Tom; Kenny, RoseAnne; Cousins, Gráinne

doi:10.1177/0898264318783080

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…For example, entering college [86] or meeting the legal minimal age to purchase alcohol are known to alter drinking behaviors and alcohol-related harms [87]. Third, alcohol use also has changing physiological effects as individuals age [88], with increasing health risks associated with aging [89–91]. Whether sociometric social network data would be particularly informative for examining alcohol use in older adults remains an open question, especially given that network effects might be waning [62].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using social network analysis to examine alcohol use among adults: A systematic review

et al. 2019

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Background Alcohol use and abuse constitute a major public health problem and identifying their determinants is a priority. Social network analysis can indicate how characteristics of social networks are related to individual health behaviors. A growing number of studies have used social network analysis to examine how social network characteristics influence adult alcohol consumption, but this literature has never been systematically reviewed and summarized. The current paper systematically reviews empirical studies that used social network analysis to assess the influence of social network characteristics on drinking behaviors in adults. Methods A literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases and a review of the reference lists of retrieved articles was conducted in March 2019. Two reviewers independently screened 5,510 non-duplicate records, and further screened the full text of 150 articles to determine their eligibility for inclusion. Seventeen articles were judged eligible and included. Results Most studies were conducted among young adults (mean age<30), in university settings or follow up visits with adolescent networks moving into adulthood. The objectives and methods of the included studies were heterogeneous. All included studies reported a statistically significant association between a social network characteristic and an alcohol consumption-related outcome. Social network members drinking behaviors were associated with participants’ drinking behaviors in multiple ways. Discussion In young adults, among whom the majority of identified studies were conducted, with whom they socialize and how they socialize appears to be associated with alcohol consumption; this was observed across methodologies and settings. We still know very little about the relationship of social networks to drinking in older age groups, and in populations most impacted by alcohol. As social networks appear to play a role in the consumption of alcohol in young adulthood, interventions that utilize social networks to help reduce harmful alcohol consumption should be considered.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using social network analysis to examine alcohol use among adults: A systematic review

et al. 2019

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“…Alcohol consumption was measured via a self-completion questionnaire. Quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption were harmonised across the three waves, to the number of standard drinks consumed per week, where one standard Irish drink is equal to 10 g of alcohol [16]. As the POSAMINO criteria discriminate between ‘any alcohol consumption’ and ‘heavy alcohol consumption’ depending on the medication, we further categorised participants as current drinkers (any alcohol consumption) at each wave if they reported drinking alcohol, or heavy drinkers if they reported drinking ≥6 standard drinks per drinking occasion or >11 standard drinks/week for women and >17 standard drinks/week for men.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially serious alcohol–medication interactions and falls in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study

et al. 2019

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ObjectiveTo investigate the association between potentially serious alcohol–medication interactions (POSAMINO criteria), hypothesised to increase the risk of falls in older adults, and falls in community-dwelling older adults at two and 4 years follow-up.DesignA prospective cohort study.SettingThe Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.SubjectsA total of 1,457 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years, with a complete alcohol and regular medication data to allow for the application of the POSAMINO criteria.OutcomesSelf-reported falls at 2 and 4 years follow-up, any falls (yes/no), injurious falls (yes/no) and number of falls (count variable).ResultsThe number of participants who reported falling since their baseline interview at 2 and 4 years were 357 (24%) and 608 (41.8%), respectively; 145 (10%) reported an injurious fall at 2 years and 268 (18%) at 4 years. Median (IQR) number of falls was 1 (1–2) at 2 years and 2 (1–3) at 4 years. Exposure to CNS POSAMINO criteria, hypothesised to increase the risk of falls due primarily to increased sedation, was associated with a significantly increased risk for falling (adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.88) and for injurious falls (adjusted RR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03–2.55) at 4 years. These equate to an absolute risk of 19% for falling (95% CI: 5–33%) and 8% for injurious falls (95% CI, 4–20%) at 4 years.ConclusionsAssessment and management strategies to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults should consider patients’ alcohol consumption alongside their assessment of patient medications, particularly among those receiving CNS agents.

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“…For young people, ages 15-24, alcohol was the leading risk factor for burden of disease for men and the second leading risk factor for women [4]. Young adult drinkers (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), are generally most likely to exceed single-occasion drinking guidelines and put themselves at risk of intoxication or short-term, alcohol-related harms [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The substantial amount of data required to evaluate drinking behaviour over a lifetime has meant previous studies have often focussed on specific life stages [10,19,20] or relied on repeated cross-sectional snapshots [12,14,21]. Because cross-sectional methods cannot assess developments within individuals over time, longitudinal data are key for effectively assessing behavioural development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol consumption trajectories over the Australian life course

et al. 2022

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Background and Aims Alcohol consumption changes markedly over the life course, with important implications for health and social development. Assessment of these patterns often relies on cross‐sectional data, which cannot fully capture how individuals' drinking changes as they age. This study used data from 18 waves of a general population panel survey to measure drinking trajectories over the life course in Australia. Design and Setting Longitudinal survey data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey between 2001 and 2018. Participants A total of 20 593 individuals ages 15 or above in two samples assessing quantity‐frequency (n = 20 569, 52.0% female) and risky single occasion drinking (RSOD), respectively, (n = 17 340, 52.5% female), interviewed as part of HILDA. Measurements Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion; frequency of drinking occasions per week; average daily consumption, calculated by combining reported usual quantity and frequency; and average reported frequency of RSOD per week. Findings Multilevel, mixed effects models run with fractional polynomial terms found similar male and female alcohol consumption trajectories for quantity‐frequency and RSOD measures. Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion (5.4 drinks for men, 3.8 for women) and RSOD frequency (0.56 occasions/week for men, 0.38 for women) peaked in young adulthood, whereas frequency of drinking occasions (2.5 occasions/week for men, 1.7 for women) peaked in middle age. Middle‐age drinkers had the highest average daily consumption of alcohol (1.4 drinks/day for 54‐year‐old men, 0.6 drinks for 57‐year‐old women) and engaged in RSOD slightly less than young adults. Conclusions Alcohol consumption in Australia appears to vary substantially over the life course, with usual quantity per drinking occasion and frequency of risky single occasion drinking peaking during early adulthood and average daily consumption and frequency of consumption peaking in middle age.

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Life Course Transitions and Changes in Alcohol Consumption Among Older Irish Adults: Results From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Abstract: Despite the decline in average weekly consumption and heavy episodic drinking, the observed quantities consumed and the increase in frequency of consumption suggest that older Irish adults remain vulnerable to alcohol-related harms.

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Using social network analysis to examine alcohol use among adults: A systematic review

Using social network analysis to examine alcohol use among adults: A systematic review

Potentially serious alcohol–medication interactions and falls in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study

Alcohol consumption trajectories over the Australian life course

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