The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and its derivatives in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly

Aalto, Mauri; Alho, Hannu; Halme, Jukka T.; Seppä, Kaija

doi:10.1002/gps.2498

Cited by 112 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that healthy adults aged over 65 years who do not take medications should not drink more than 3 drinks (42 g alcohol) per day or 7 drinks (92 g alcohol) per week [6]. Yet 10.8% of men and 2.9% of women in a large US sample aged over 65 reported exceeding these limits, compared with 28.6% of men and 10.3% of women in a UK sample the same age [7] and just over a fifth of samples of comparable age in Finland and Belgium [8]. In the USA, 23% of men and 9% of women aged 50–64, and 14% of men and 3% of women aged 65 and above, report binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks) on at least one occasion in the preceding month [9], while 27% of Europeans aged over 54 years report doing so on a weekly basis [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Study of Alcohol, Health and Identities among UK Adults in Later Life

et al. 2013

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Increasing alcohol consumption among older individuals is a public health concern. Lay understandings of health risks and stigma around alcohol problems may explain why public health messages have not reduced rates of heavy drinking in this sector. A qualitative study aimed to elucidate older people's reasoning about drinking in later life and how this interacted with health concerns, in order to inform future, targeted, prevention in this group. In 2010 a diverse sample of older adults in North East England (ages 50–95) participated in interviews (n = 24, 12 male, 12 female) and three focus groups (participants n = 27, 6 male, 21 female). Data were analysed using grounded theory and discursive psychology methods. When talking about alcohol use older people oriented strongly towards opposed identities of normal or problematic drinker, defined by propriety rather than health considerations. Each of these identities could be applied in older people's accounts of either moderate or heavy drinking. Older adults portrayed drinking less alcohol as an appropriate response if one experienced impaired health. However continued heavy drinking was also presented as normal behaviour for someone experiencing relative wellbeing in later life, or if ill health was construed as unrelated to alcohol consumption. Older people displayed scepticism about health advice on alcohol when avoiding stigmatised identity as a drinker. Drinking patterns did not appear to be strongly defined by gender, although some gendered expectations of drinking were described. Identities offer a useful theoretical concept to explain the rises in heavy drinking among older populations, and can inform preventive approaches to tackle this. Interventions should engage and foster positive identities to sustain healthier drinking and encourage at the community level the identification of heavy drinking as neither healthy nor synonymous with dependence. Future research should test and assess such approaches.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Study of Alcohol, Health and Identities among UK Adults in Later Life

et al. 2013

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“…They suggested the use of AUDIT-5, a brief version of AUDIT consisting of items 2, 4, 5, 9 and 10. By using a sub-group of the Finnish population aged 65–74, Aalto et al, [12] suggested a cut-off score of five instead of eight. This result is not necessarily valid for people aged above 74 year but their main conclusion was that AUDIT is still valid for higher ages but at lower cut-offs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychometric properties of the AUDIT: a survey from a random sample of elderly Swedish adults

et al. 2014

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BackgroundIncreasing alcohol consumption and related harms have been reported among the elderly population of Europe. Consequently, it is important to monitor patterns of alcohol use, and to use a valid and reliable tool when screening for risky consumption in this age group. The aim was to evaluate the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in elderly Swedish adults, and to compare the results with the general Swedish population. Another aim was to calculate the level of alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) to be used for comparison in future studies.MethodsThe questionnaire was sent to 1459 Swedish adults aged 79–80 years with a response rate of 73.3%. Internal consistency reliability, were assessed using Cronbach alpha, and confirmatory factor analysis assessed construct validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in elderly population as compared to a Swedish general population sample.ResultsThe results showed that AUDIT was more reliable and valid among the Swedish general population sample than among the elderly and that Item 1 and 4 in AUDIT was less reliable and valid among the elderly.ConclusionsWhile the AUDIT showed acceptable psychometric properties in the general population sample, it’s performance was of less quality among the elderly respondents. Further psychometric assessments of the AUDIT in elderly populations are required before it is implemented more widely.

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“…The other variations were always less prevalent among those aged 75 years compared to younger ones aged 65e74 years 12 , results that support another study 16 . However, in a study conducted in Finland among 804 elderly individuals aged 65e74 years, high consumption of alcohol was found in 22.8% of the sample 18 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Various tools can be used to identify the abusive consumption of alcohol among elderly patients 16 , and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), which is a questionnaire with 10 items specifically related to alcohol, developed by WHO 17 , has been widely used in population samples, including elderly people, showing appropriate sensitivity to diagnose alcohol abuse among the elderly 16,18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol and Medication Use Among Elderly Community-dwelling Brazilians

Silva

Santos

Marchini

2014

International Journal of Gerontology

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s u m m a r yBackground: Alcohol consumption among the elderly remains understudied, but alcohol interaction with the great amount of medicines taken by this age group could be a serious health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate alcohol consumption and medicines used by an elderly sample from Pindamonhangaba, Brazil. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a representative sample of 123 elderly individuals (61.0% women) was interviewed by using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) to verify alcohol consumption. The medicines used by the sample were also surveyed. Results: It was noted that the vast majority of respondents was classified as "low-risk consumption" (99.2%), followed by "harmful consumption"(0.8%). Alcohol dependency was not found. The average number of medicines used was 2.5 (± 1.3) medications/day. Regarding the distribution of medicines used by the elderly in this sample, the most used was captopril (33.3%), followed by acetylsalicylic acid (AAS) and hydrochlorothiazide (17.1%), and metformin (10.6%). With regard to the pharmacological class of medications used, the most used were antihypertensives (50.4%), diuretics (20.3%), and antidiabetic agents (13.8%). Only 13% of used medicines were considered inappropriate to the elderly, by Beers-Fick criteria. Conclusion: Harmful consumption of alcohol in the evaluated sample was very low. The average of used medicines (2.5 medicines/day) was similar to those obtained previously in elderly populations in the same region, with relatively low use of inappropriate drugs for the elderly.

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The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and its derivatives in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly

Abstract: The AUDIT and AUDIT-C are accurate in screening for heavy drinking among the elderly if the cut points are tailored to this age group.

Cited by 112 publications

References 16 publications

A Qualitative Study of Alcohol, Health and Identities among UK Adults in Later Life

A Qualitative Study of Alcohol, Health and Identities among UK Adults in Later Life

The psychometric properties of the AUDIT: a survey from a random sample of elderly Swedish adults

Alcohol and Medication Use Among Elderly Community-dwelling Brazilians

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