Prevalence and sociodemographic factors of risky drinking in Australian older adults

Differential Effects of Alcohol Policies Across Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status

PURPOSE

Sociocultural characteristics, including race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), may affect individuals' attitudes and norms regarding alcohol use and treatment as well as their access to emerging health knowledge, innovative technologies, and general resources for improving health. As a result of these differences, as well as social determinants of health such as stigma and uneven enforcement, alcohol policies may not benefit all population subgroups equally. This review addresses research conducted within the last decade that examined differential effects of alcohol policies on alcohol consumption, alcohol harm, and alcohol treatment admissions across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

SEARCH METHODS

The authors used the following Boolean phrase search terms to assess the association between race/ethnicity and outcomes: ("alcohol policy" OR "alcohol policies") AND ("race" OR "ethnicity" OR "first nations" OR "African American" OR "Hispanic American" OR "Latino American" OR "Asian American" OR "Native American"). Association with SES was assessed using these terms: ("alcohol policy" OR "alcohol policies") AND ("socioeconomic" OR "class") AND ("effect" OR "impact" OR "outcome"). Both searches were conducted on August 28, 2023, using advanced search in seven EBSCOhost research databases: (1) EBSCO Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate; (2) EBSCOhost E-Journals; (3) EBSCO MEDLINE Complete; (4) SocINDEX with Full Text; (5) APA PsycInfo; (6) LISTA (Library Information Sciences and Technology Abstracts); and (7) GreenFILE. Inclusion criteria for both searches were: (1) publication dates between 2014 and 2023; (2) peer-reviewed research articles; (3) data disaggregated by racial/ethnic and/or SES subgroups; and (4) English language only.

SEARCH RESULTS

The racial/ethnic search produced 64 articles, of which 14 were reviewed as relevant to this study and 50 were excluded. The SES search generated 100 articles, of which 18 were reviewed as relevant to this study and 82 were excluded. Eight of the studies identified by these two searches overlapped (i.e., included both racial/ethnic and SES outcomes), resulting in a total of 24 articles included in this review.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Relying upon data from both U.S. and international research, the identified studies focused on differential effects of financially focused alcohol control policies (e.g., taxation and minimum unit pricing policies) as well as access/availability reduction policies (e.g., those governing outlet density, on-/off-premise sales, and establishment licensing). Several studies concluded that price increases via taxes or minimum unit pricing might be particularly effective in reducing the risk of alcohol-related harms in low-income/low-SES populations. Limitations of the present review include lack of standardization in the ways that SES was measured and the difficulty of measuring policy enforceability. Studies focused on differential effects of alcohol control policies across racial/ethnic groups demonstrated complex associations and the need to conduct further research that identifies better ways to reduce policy-induced health disparities across diverse populations.

Unpacking assertions made by the alcohol industry and how they make them: An analysis of submissions into Australia's National Alcohol Strategy

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. One significant barrier to the implementation of evidence-based alcohol policy is alcohol industry opposition. Making submissions to national policy processes is one way in which the industry exert influence. The aim of this study was to analyse alcohol industry submissions into Australia's National Alcohol Strategy to determine key assertions made by the alcohol industry and the ways in which they use evidence and refute the effectiveness of public health policies to make their claims.

METHODS

Submissions made by alcohol industry actors (n = 12) were analysed using content analysis to determine key industry assertions. A pre-existing framework on alcohol industry use of evidence was then applied to analyse the evidentiary practices used to make these assertions.

RESULTS

Five common industry assertions were identified: 'Drinking alcohol in moderation has health benefits'; 'Alcohol isn't the cause of violence'; 'Targeted initiatives, not population level alcohol policies, are needed'; 'Strong alcohol advertising regulations are not necessary'; and 'Minimum unit price and pricing and taxation policies more broadly are not needed'. The industry systematically manipulated, misused and ignored evidence throughout their submissions.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The alcohol industry is misusing evidence in their submissions to government consultations to make their assertions about alcohol policy. It is therefore essential that industry submissions are scrutinised and not accepted on face value. Additionally, it is suggested that the alcohol industry requires a distinct model of governance similarly to that which regulates the tobacco industry to prevent their attempts to undermine evidence-based public health policy.

The effects of exceeding low-risk drinking thresholds on self-rated health and all-cause mortality in older adults: the Tromsø study 1994-2020

BACKGROUND

Based on findings of increasing alcohol consumption in older adults, it is important to clarify the health consequences. Using data from the Tromsø study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between different levels of alcohol consumption in old adulthood and self-rated health trajectories and all-cause mortality.

METHODS

This is an epidemiological study utilizing repeated measures from the Tromsø study cohort. It allows follow-up of participants from 1994 to 2020. A total of 24,590 observations of alcohol consumption were made in older adults aged 60-99 (53% women).

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-rated health (SRH) and all-cause mortality. SRH was reported when attending the Tromsø study. Time of death was retrieved from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. The follow-up time extended from the age of study entry to the age of death or end of follow-up on November 25, 2020.

PREDICTOR

Average weekly alcohol consumption (non-drinker, < 100 g/week, ≥100 g/week). We fitted two-level logistic random effects models to examine how alcohol consumption was related to SRH, and Cox proportional hazards models to examine its relation to all-cause mortality. Both models were stratified by sex and adjusted for sociodemographic factors, pathology, biometrics, smoking and physical activity. In addition, all the confounders were examined for whether they moderate the relationship between alcohol and the health-related outcomes through interaction analyses.

RESULTS

We found that women who consumed ≥100 g/week had better SRH than those who consumed < 100 g/week; OR 1.85 (1.46-2.34). This pattern was not found in men OR 1.18 (0.99-1.42). We identified an equal mortality risk in both women and men who exceeded 100 g/week compared with those who consumed less than 100 g/week; HR 0.95 (0.73-1.22) and HR 0.89 (0.77-1.03), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no clear evidence of an independent negative effect on either self-rated health trajectories or all-cause mortality for exceeding an average of 100 g/week compared to lower drinking levels in this study with up to 25 years follow-up. However, some sex-specific risk factors in combination with the highest level of alcohol consumption led to adverse effects on self-rated health. In men it was the use of sleeping pills or tranquilisers and ≥ 20 years of smoking, in women it was physical illness and older age.

The impact of socioeconomic status and sleep quality on the prevalence of multimorbidity in older adults

Introduction

Multimorbidity has become a global public health concern that can cause serious damage to the health status of older adults. This study aimed to investigate the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) and sleep quality on the prevalence of multimorbidity in older adults, thus providing a reference for reducing the risk of the prevalence of multimorbidity and improving the health of older adults.

Methods

A multi-stage random sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey on 3,250 older adults aged 60 years and above in Shanxi Province, China. The chi-square test and multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze the association of SES and sleep quality with the prevalence of multimorbidity of older adults.

Results

The prevalence of multimorbidity was 30.31% in older adults aged 60 years and above in Shanxi Province, China. After adjusting for confounders, very low SES (OR = 1.440, 95% CI: 1.083-1.913) and poor sleep quality (OR = 2.445, 95% CI: 2.043-2.927) were associated with the prevalence of multimorbidity. Older adults with low SES and poor sleep quality had the highest risk of the prevalence of multimorbidity (OR = 3.139, 95% CI: 2.288-4.307).

Conclusions

SES and sleep quality are associated with the prevalence of multimorbidity in older adults, and older adults with lower SES and poorer sleep quality are at higher risk for the prevalence of multimorbidity.

Recurrent risk of hospitalization among older people with problematic alcohol use: a multiple failure-time analysis with a discontinuous risk model

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Older people with problematic alcohol use vary in psychosocial functioning, age of onset for problem drinking and use of other drugs. The study measured the differential risks of all-cause, alcohol-, polydrug- and psychiatric-related repeated hospitalizations among older people with problematic alcohol use.

DESIGN

A linked register-based cohort study with discontinuous multiple-failure (time-to-repeated-event) data. Hospitalization and mortality were considered as failure.

SETTING

Sweden, March 2003-November 2017, using data from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) register linked to National Inpatient Register and the Swedish cause of death register.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants aged 50 years and older (n = 1741; 28.2% women), with one or more alcohol problem days in the 30 days before an ASI assessment.

MEASUREMENTS

Five mutually exclusive latent classes of problematic alcohol use, identified with 11 ASI items, were the independent variables: 'late onset with fewer consequences (LO:FC; reference group)'; 'early onset/prevalent multi-dimensional problems (EO:MD)'; 'late onset with co-occurring anxiety and depression (LO:AD)'; 'early onset with co-occurring psychiatric problems (EO:PP)'; and 'early onset with major alcohol problem (EO:AP)'. Covariates included socio-demographic characteristics, previous hospitalization and Elixhauser comorbidity index. Outcome measurements included recurrent hospitalization and/or mortality due to: (a) all-cause, (b) alcohol-related disorders and diseases (c) polydrug use and (d) other psychiatric disorders.

FINDINGS

During the study period, more than 75% were hospitalized at least once or died. 57.3% were hospitalized with alcohol-related, 8.5% with polydrug use and 18.5% with psychiatric-related diagnoses. Compared with LO:FC, EO:PP had higher risk for all-cause [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-1.59] and alcohol-related (aHR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02-1.75) hospitalizations. Adjusted risks for polydrug-related hospitalization were 2.55, 95% CI = 1.04-6.27 for EO:MD and 2.62, 95% CI = 1.07-6.40 for EO:PP. Adjusted risk for psychiatric-related hospitalization was higher for LO:AD (aHR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.16-2.73 and EO:PP (aHR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.22-3.38).

CONCLUSIONS

Older addiction service users in Sweden have varying risks of hospitalization due to alcohol use, polydrug use and psychiatric disorders. Older people with problematic alcohol use who have multiple needs and are assessed in social services may benefit from earlier interventions with an integrated focus on substance use and mental health.

Alcohol-impaired Walking in 16 Countries: A Theory-Based Investigation

Alcohol is a global risk factor for road trauma. Although drink driving has received most of the scholarly attention, there is growing evidence of the risks of alcohol-impaired walking. Alcohol-impaired pedestrians are over-represented in fatal crashes compared to non-impaired pedestrians. Additionally, empirical evidence shows that alcohol intoxication impairs road-crossing judgements. Besides some limited early research, much is unknown about the global prevalence and determinants of alcohol-impaired walking. Understanding alcohol-impaired walking will support health promotion initiatives and injury prevention. The present investigation has three aims: (1) compare the prevalence of alcohol-impaired walking across countries; (2) identify international groups of pedestrians based on psychosocial factors (i.e., Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and perceptions of risk); and (3) investigate how segments of pedestrians form their intention for alcohol-impaired walking using the extended TPB (i.e. subjective norm, attitudes, perceived control, and perceived risk). A cross-sectional design was applied. The target behaviour question was "have you been a pedestrian when your thinking or physical ability (balance/strength) is affected by alcohol?" to ensure comparability across countries. Cluster analysis based on the extended TPB was used to identify groups of countries. Finally, regressions were used to predict pedestrians' intentions per group. A total of 6,166 respondents (Age M(SD) = 29.4 (14.2); Males = 39.2%) completed the questionnaire, ranging from 12.6% from Russia to 2.2% from Finland. The proportion of participants who reported never engaging in alcohol-impaired walking in the last three months ranged from 30.1% (Spain) to 83.1% (Turkey). Four groups of countries were identified: group-1 (Czech Republic, Spain, and Australia), group-2 (Russia and Finland), group-3 (Japan), and group-4 (final ten countries including Colombia, China, and Romania). Pedestrian intentions to engage in alcohol- impaired walking are predicted by perceptions of risk and TPB-psychosocial factors in group-1 and group-4. Favourable TPB-beliefs and low perceived risk increased alcohol-impaired walking intentions. Conversely, subjective norms were not significant in group-2 and only perceived risk predicted intention in group-3. The willingness of pedestrians to walk when alcohol-impaired differs significantly across the countries in this study. Perceived risk was the only common predictor among the 16 countries.

Screening for risky drinkers among hospitalised inpatients using the AUDIT: A feasibility, point prevalence and data linkage study

INTRODUCTION

Risky drinking frequently remains undiagnosed or untreated, including in hospitalised inpatients. Using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), we assessed the feasibility of screening for risky drinking and whether screening results aligned with alcohol-attributable diagnoses in an inpatient population.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey across a tertiary health service in Melbourne, Australia. Researchers collected demographics, AUDIT scores and acceptability from all eligible adult inpatients available on day of survey. Main outcomes were prevalence of risky drinking (AUDIT ≥8), mean AUDIT score and patient acceptability. Identification of risky drinking by the abbreviated 'AUDIT-C' or discharge diagnoses (extracted by data-linkage with medical records) was compared.

RESULTS

Of 473 eligible inpatients, 61% (n = 289) participated, 22% (n = 103) were unavailable and 17% (n = 81) declined. Median age was 64 years (IQR = 48, 76); 54% (n = 157) were male. Mean AUDIT score was 4.4 (SD = 5.5). Risky drinking prevalence was 20% (n = 57), 2% (n = 7) had scores suggestive of dependence (AUDIT ≥20, a subset of risky drinkers). Odds of risky drinking were reduced in females (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.09, 0.41; P < 0.001) and participants ≥70 years (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.07, 0.71; P = 0.01). Alcohol-attributable diagnoses did not consistently align with risky drinking, with half of inpatients with wholly attributable diagnoses classified as low risk. Most inpatients considered screening acceptable (89%, n = 256).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Pre-admission risky drinking was evident in one-fifth of hospital inpatients, but alcohol-attributable diagnoses were unreliable proxy measures of risky drinking. Screening in-patients with the AUDIT was acceptable to inpatients and can be feasibly implemented in an Australian tertiary hospital setting.