Moderate alcohol consumption and unappreciated risk for alcohol-related harm among ethnically diverse, urban-dwelling elders

Older women's cognitive and affective response to moderate drinking

“…Great latitude exists in what constitutes mild, moderate or 'problem' drinking. Masters (2003) found that almost half of her elderly participants defined moderate drinking in excess of the SAMSA Federal guidelines. Asking participants to report the total number of drinks consumed may not be the best way to stratify drinking behavior along a continuum from sensible to problematic.…”

“…Collins and McNair (2002), summarizing previous studies, reported abstinence rates of 45-60% among African-American women and 43% among Mexican-American women. Masters (2003) found a 19% incidence of moderate alcohol consumption among African-Americans and 40% among Hispanic elders. Seventy-three percent of Master's sample were women.…”

“…Both Dufour (1999) and Masters (2003) emphasized that defining moderate drinking is problematic due to measurement of levels, patterns and cultural definitions of drinking. The manner in which a sample is recruited (random, convenience and/or volunteer) and the setting in which the measurement takes place (primary care, public health clinic, university setting, research project) will influence an alcohol self-report, and limit the generalizability of specific results to the population in general.…”

Patterns of Alcohol Consumption in the Older Population of Spain, 2008-2010

“…45 Given that moderate alcohol consumption is a component of the Mediterranean diet, and that this diet is widely promoted as a healthy food pattern, many older individuals may consider that drinking alcohol is safe even when taking certain drug treatments. 46 In fact, in one study in Northern Europe, 20% of older adults consuming alcohol reported doing it for "medical purposes." 47 As in our study, previous research has found that suboptimal self-rated health 30,48 and functional limitations 30,44,47,48 were associated with lower frequency of alcohol consumption, particularly heavy intake.…”

Older Males, Cognitive Function, and Alcohol Consumption

“…Among older adults, there is a lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the recommended amount and frequency of moderate alcohol consumption (Masters, 2003). The message that moderate consumption of alcohol has health benefits has been in the public awareness for almost ten years, since the federal government acknowledged that wine with food had moderate health benefits.…”