Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Advances in Dual Diagnosis
Publisher
Emerald
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
32962
Abstract
Purpose: Rates of drinking- and alcohol-related harms among older adults are increasing in most developed nations. The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship among at-risk alcohol use, smoking, gender, geographical location, self-reported health and psychological well-being among Western Australians aged 65 years and older. Design/methodology/approach: A secondary analysis was conducted of a cross-sectional survey that collected data from 7,804 West Australians aged 65 years and older between 2013 and 2015. Participants were categorised according to the following age groups: young-old (aged 65–74 years), older-old (aged 75–84 years) and oldest-old (aged 85+ years). Findings: Results from a multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that at-risk drinking decreased with increasing age. Current smokers, males and those males and females who perceived their health to be “excellent” were more likely to report at-risk drinking, as were the oldest-old males who lived in remote communities. Psychological well-being was not a predictor of at-risk drinking. Originality/value: This paper examines drinking behaviour among a diverse population of older Western Australians. The way in which the age groups were segmented is unique, as most studies of older Australian drinking patterns aggregate the older adult population. Some of the authors’ findings support existing literature, whereas the remainder provides unique data about the relationship among at-risk drinking, geographic location and psychological well-being.
DOI
10.1108/ADD-12-2020-0026
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comments
This is an author's accepted manuscript of: Wilkinson, C., Clarke, K., Sambell, R., Dare, J., & Bright, S. J. (2021). The health of older Western Australians: The role of age, gender, geographic location, psychological distress, perceived health, tobacco and alcohol. Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 14(2), 36-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/ADD-12-2020-0026