Older adults drinking
As we age, our bodies’ ability to metabolise alcohol diminishes. In addition, older people are more likely to have medical conditions which are worsened by drinking, and to take medicines which interact with alcohol. Despite this, many older adults consume alcohol in a way which may be harmful to their health. This programmatic assessment of New Zealanders’ lifespan relationship with alcohol addresses core questions concerning alcohol consumption patterns in periods of life transitions and drinking by older adults. The proposed programme comprised three parts: (A) the determinants of New Zealanders’ alcohol consumption patterns across the lifespan, (B) national prevalence and longitudinal determinants of risky drinking in older adults, and (C) an international comparison of older adults’ drinking patterns within which to benchmark older New Zealanders risky drinking levels.
Principal Investigator: Janie Sheridan
Contact email: j.sheridan@auckland.ac.nz
Collaborators: Associate Professor Andy Towers (CO-PI) (Massey University), Associate Professor David Newcombe (CO-PI) (University of Auckland), Professor Christine Savage (Johns Hopkins University, USA), Dr Annie Britton (University College London, UK), Professor Alison Moore,(UCLA, USA), Ms Karina Ramirez (UCLA, USA), Dr Paul Kowal (World Health Organisation, Newcastle, Australia), Dr Martin Hyde (University of Manchester, UK), Professor Thomas Clausen (Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Norway), Dr Priscilla Martinez (NIAAA-funded Alcohol Research Group, San Francisco), Dr Eithne Sexton (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)
Status: Completed
Funding: Health Promotion Agency
Publications:
SZABÓ Á, TOWERS A, SHERIDAN J, NEWCOMBE D. (2019) 10-year Trajectories of Alcohol Consumption in Older Adult New Zealanders. The Journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 04 Nov 2019, DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbz143
TOWERS, A., SZABÓ, A., NEWCOMBE, DAL., SHERIDAN, J., MOORE, AA., HYDE, M., BRITTON, A., MARTINEZ, P., MINICUCI, N., KOWAL, P., CLAUSEN, T., SAVAGE, CL (2019) Hazardous drinking prevalence and correlates in older New Zealanders: A comparison of the AUDIT-C and the CARET. Journal of aging and Health 31 (10), 1770-1789
TOWERS A, MCMENAMIN J, NEWCOMBE DA, SHERIDAN J, WHITE G. (2019) Older New Zealanders addressing an emerging population of hazardous drinkers. New Zealand Medical Journal 132(1499):26 Jul 2019
TOWERS, A., SHERIDAN, J., NEWCOMBE, D, & SZABO, A. (2018). New Zealanders’ alcohol consumption across the lifespan. Wellington: Health Promotion Agency
TOWERS, A., SHERIDAN, J., NEWCOMBE, D, & SZABO, A. (2018).The longitudinal patterns if alcohol use in older New Zealanders. Wellington: Health Promotion Agency.
TOWERS, A., SHERIDAN, J., NEWCOMBE, D, & SZABO, A. (2018). The prevalence of hazardous drinking in older New Zealanders. Wellington: Health Promotion Agency
TOWERS, A., SHERIDAN, J., NEWCOMBE, D. (2017). The drinking patterns of older New Zealanders: National and international comparisons. Wellington: Health Promotion Agency.