Prevalence and patterns of alcohol drinking among the elderly based on the results of the Standardized European Alcohol Survey (RARHA SEAS)
Journal Title: Alkoholizm i Narkomania - Year 2019, Vol 32, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction The societies of Europe are aging. One of the less frequent problems studied by professionals is alcohol drinking among the elderly. Material and methods Based on the results of the Standardized European Alcohol Survey (RARHA SEAS), the alcohol attitudes of the Polish population of older people (60-64 years) were analysed. The research covered the following issues: the percentage of drinkers, the frequency and type of alcohol consumed, the environment and company motivations and risky single occasional drinking (RSOD). Differences in alcohol use between the elderly and younger respondents and also by gender were also presented. Results The majority of both men and women were alcohol consumers (women – 70.3%, men – 92.1%). Differences are clearly visible in abstinent attitudes. Men are more likely to admit risky occasional drinking (RSOD) than women. Most women did not drink in a risky manner (64.8%) during the course of 12 months. This cannot be said about men as more than a half drunk in a risky manner. Risky drinking at least once a week was confirmed among 8.6% men and not a single women. Discussion The RARHA SEAS study showed that although alcohol use among people aged 60-64 was common, the frequency of its consumption may be considered moderate. Gender is a factor differentiating the intensity and culture of drinking, which confirms previous observations on the consumption of alcohol by old men and old women. Conclusions The increasing share of the most elderly with diverse generational experiences in the population indicates the desirability of extending the study to persons of over 64 years of age in further research, taking into account patterns of alcohol consumption and factors affecting risky drinking. A study of this kind could produce evidence allowing us to develop a differentiated therapeutic offer for elderly people.
Authors and Affiliations
Marta Zin-Sędek
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP596002
- DOI 10.5114/ain.2019.85765
- Views 118
- Downloads 0
Trends in tobacco-related behaviour among young people in Poland from 1995 to 2015 against a background of selected European countries
Introduction In 2015, one quarter of Polish residents aged over 15 years smoked every day (24%). The percentage of smokers is slightly smaller than in previous editions of the study. Despite consistent policy to reduce s...
Percepcja społeczna czynników udaremniających samodzielne przezwyciężenie uzależnienia – jakościowa analiza porównawcza
Do tej pory zjawisko samowyleczeń z uzależnienia (przezwyciężenie uzależnienia samodzielnie, bez pomocy profesjonalistów) było badane głównie z perspektywy indywidualnej. Jednak decyzja o przerwaniu lub ograniczeniu używ...
Violence in adolescents aged 11–15 years in relation to alcohol abuse and selected psychosocial determinants
The purpose of the study was to show the prevalence of physical fighting among adolescents in Poland and other countries, and to identify determinants of frequent fighting related to alcohol abuse and other psychosocial...
Fluctuations in alcohol demand among adolescents
The article presents the fluctuations in alcohol demand among adolescents in Poland in XX and XXI century and interprets it in terms of diffusion of innovation theory. The analysis of time series of results of school su...
The ESPAD project: history and assumptions. Introduction to series of papers from the ESPAD study 1995-2015. Poland against the background of Europe
The ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) study is carried out in a changing number of European countries every four years since 1995. In 1995, 22 countries participated in the survey and 34 i...