Gender differences in any alcohol screening and discussions with providers among older adults in the United States, 2015 to 2019

Abstract

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is increasing among older adults, particularly women. We estimated gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions with healthcare providers among older adults who use alcohol. Methods:Using the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we included 9663 adults age 65 and older in the United States who used alcohol and had a past-year healthcare encounter. We estimated the weighted prevalence of alcohol screening/discussions (no screening; screening only; discussions with providers) by gender. We used weighted multinomial logistic regression models to examine correlates of alcohol use screening/discussions.Results: Among older adults who used alcohol and encountered the healthcare system in the past year, 24.68% of men and 27.04% of women reported no alcohol screening/ discussions. Men were more likely than women to be asked about drinking frequency, amount, or problems related to drinking. Compared to no alcohol screening/discussions, women were 22% more likely (95% CI: 1.05, 1.42) to report alcohol screening only but were 18% less likely to discuss alcohol with providers (95% CI: 0.73, 0.91) than men. Women had 0.67 times (95% CI: 0.60, 0.74) the adjusted odds of reporting alcohol discussions with providers versus any alcohol screening only compared with men.Conclusions: Over a quarter of older adults who used alcohol were not asked about their drinking, and older women were less likely than men to discuss alcohol use with providers. Given the increased risk for harms of alcohol use with aging, older adults should be screened and counseled regarding their alcohol use.

Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among US Adolescents and Adults With Need for Opioid Treatment, 2019

“… 44 , 45 Furthermore, older adults were less likely than young adults to receive MOUD, with most receiving no treatment at all. Misconceptions about substance use in older age alongside lower screening/assessment rates 46 , 47 may contribute to the observed low OUD treatment rates.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving general practitioners’ brief advice on and support with alcohol consumption in Germany: results of a population survey

“…[5] In addition, evidence is good that individuals with higher compared to with lower SES may consume similar or even greater amounts of alcohol and show higher prevalence rates of hazardous drinking. [5,36] Gender gaps in GP-delivered alcohol interventions have been reported before [18,37,38] but we can only speculate on underlying reasons. This could be due to greater concerns about stigmatisation or shame, leading women and individuals with higher SES less often admit alcohol use to their GPs.…”

“…The higher the overall AUDIT-C score, the higher the rate of reporting ever receipt of GP advice on, or support with, reducing alcohol consumption, see Figure 2 . In persons with an AUDIT-C score >9 – which is viewed as harmful or potentially dependent drinking pattern [37] – 51.5% (n=17/33) have ever received GP advice on, or support with reducing alcohol consumption.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving general practitioners’ brief advice on and support with alcohol consumption in Germany: results of a population survey

“…In addition, evidence is good that individuals with higher compared with with lower SES may consume similar or even greater amounts of alcohol and show higher prevalence rates of hazardous drinking 5 37. Gender gaps in GP-delivered alcohol interventions have been reported before18 38 39 but we can only speculate on underlying reasons. This could be due to greater concerns about stigmatisation or shame, leading women and individuals with higher SES less often admit alcohol use to their GPs (social desirability).…”