 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Ying Zhang, MD, MPH, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Yale University, 1 Church St, 7th Fl, Program on Aging, New Haven, CT 06510, 203-764-9888, yzhang@yale.edu, Guohuo Li, MD, DrPH, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 E. Monument Street, Suite 6-100, Baltimore, MD 21205, and Marie Diener-West, PhD, Dept. of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Hygiene E3012, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Objectives. To investigate the role of population aging on temporal trends and regional variations in apparent per capita alcohol consumption in the United States. Methods. Data on apparent per capita alcohol consumption data during 1970-1997 were obtained from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Population aging was represented by the proportion of elderly (age >=65) in each state, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Analysis using generalized linear models accounting for correlated observations was conducted to examine the relationship between apparent per capita alcohol consumption and the proportion of elderly in four geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) by beverage type(spirits, wine, and beer). Results. Across all regions, there was a decline in total alcohol use over time, primarily due to decreased spirits consumption. After adjusting for the proportion of elderly in the population, trends in decreased spirits consumption were still observed in all four regions since 1980. Adjustment for the proportion of elderly in the population eliminated the regional differences in wine and total alcohol consumption between the Northeast and the West, and between the South and the Midwest. Striking differences, however, remained between ~{!0~}wet~{!1~} (the Northeast and the West) and ~{!0~}dry~{!1~} (the Midwest and the South) regions. Conclusions. The observed temporal trends and the regional variations in apparent per capita alcohol consumption can be partially accounted for by population aging.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alcohol, Elderly
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.