Does Alcohol Misuse Differ by Veteran and Gender Status in Adults 25 to 75 Years of Age (original) (raw)
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JAMA Network Open
IMPORTANCE Alcohol screening may be associated with health outcomes that cluster with alcohol use (ie, alcohol-clustering conditions), including depression, anxiety, and use of tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs. OBJECTIVE To quantify the extent to which alcohol screening provides additional information regarding alcohol-clustering conditions and to compare 2 alcohol use screening tools commonly used for this purpose. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This longitudinal cohort study used data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study. Data were collected at 8 Veterans Health Administration facilities from 2003 through 2012. A total of 7510 participants were enrolled, completed a baseline survey, and were followed up. Veterans with HIV were matched with controls without HIV by age, race, sex, and site of care. Data were analyzed from January 2019 to December 2019. EXPOSURES The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) were used to assess alcohol use, with 4 risk groups delineated for each test: score 0 to 7 (reference), score 8 to 15, score 16 to 19, and score 20 to 40 (maximum score) for the full AUDIT and score 0 to 3 (reference), score 4 to 5, score 6 to 7, and score 8 to 12 (maximum score) for the AUDIT-C. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Alcohol-clustering conditions, including self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety and use of tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, other stimulants, opioids, and injection drugs. RESULTS A total of 6431 US patients (6104 [95%] men; median age during survey years 2003-2004, 50 years [range, 28-86 years; interquartile range, 44-55 years]) receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration completed 1 or more follow-up surveys when the AUDIT was administered and were included in the present analyses. Of the male participants, 4271 (66%) were African American, 1498 (24%) were white, and 590 (9%) were Hispanic. The AUDIT and AUDIT-C scores were associated with each alcohol-clustering condition. In particular, an AUDIT score of 20 or higher
The Illness Burden of Alcohol-Related Disorders Among VA Patients
Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, 2006
Little is known about the illness burden associated with alcohol-related disorders (ie, problem drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence) among patients in outpatient medical care. The objective of this study was to examine several aspects of illness burden-medical comorbidities, patterns of health services use, and functional status-among Veterans Health Administration (VA) ambulatory care patients with alcohol-related disorders. Male participants (N = 2425) were recruited at 1 of 4 Boston-area VA outpatient clinics. They completed self-report screening measures of current alcohol-related disorders (CAGE score ≥2 with past year alcohol consumption), health behaviors, medical comorbidities, and functional status (SF-36). A medical history interview, which assessed comorbid conditions and use of recent health services, was also administered. Screening criteria for current alcohol-related disorders were satisfied by 12%; however, only 40% of these reported ever receiving treatment specifically for alcohol-related disorders. Patients who screened positive for alcohol-related disorders reported significantly greater limitations in mental health function, longer hospitalizations for medical care in the prior year, and fewer outpatient medical visits in the previous 3 months. Findings suggest considerable illness burden associated with alcohol-related disorders among VA ambulatory care patients. Efforts to increase detection and treatment of alcohol-related disorders may lessen the illness burden and cost of alcohol-related disorders.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2012
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Alcohol misuse is associated with poor adherence to recommended self-care behaviors, which are critical for diabetes management. This study investigated whether scores on a validated brief alcohol misuse screen are associated with diabetes self-care. METHODS: Male outpatients (n=3,930) from seven Veterans Affairs sites returned the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) alcohol screen on mailed surveys and indicated they had diabetes. Patients were divided into five alcohol screening groups: no past year alcohol use (AUDIT-C 0), low-level alcohol use (AUDIT-C 1-3); and mild (AUDIT-C 4-5), moderate (AU-DIT-C 6-7), and severe (AUDIT-C 8-12) misuse. Outcomes included self-report of monitoring blood glucose, maintaining normal blood glucose levels, inspecting feet, following a meal plan, not smoking, and laboratory data indicating that glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) had been tested in the past year. For each group, the proportion of patients adherent to each behavior were estimated from logistic regression models adjusted for demographics, comorbidity, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Patients who did not drink were most likely to report adherence to self-care behaviors, except for past-year HbA1c testing. Compared to patients who did not drink, patients with AUDIT-C scores ≥6 were significantly less likely to report maintaining normal blood glucose levels (eg, AUDIT-C 6-7 44% versus AUDIT-C 0 59%) or following a meal plan (48% versus 58%), and were more likely to smoke (71% abstained versus 85%) in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that higher alcohol screening scores are associated with poorer diabetes self-care.
Alcohol diagnoses among older Tennessee Medicare beneficiaries: race and gender differences
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2012
Background: These analyses bolster a sparse body of research focusing on the rate of alcohol disorders among older adults, particularly race and gender subgroups. Methods: We based the study on cross-sectional data from all Medicare billed physician/patient encounters. Analyses of these data included cross-tabulations, difference of means tests, and difference of proportions tests, logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression. These analyses were based Medicare billing records from physician/patient encounters in Tennessee. Data included Tennessee Medicare billings beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part B, who saw a physician at least once in 2000. Patients with billings containing ICD-9 codes: 303 (alcohol abuse), 305 (alcohol dependence), 291 (alcohol psychosis), or 571.1-571.3 (alcohol-related liver disease including cirrhosis of the liver) as to primary diagnosis were considered alcohol-disordered. Results: Analyses reveal the overall rate of alcohol disorders, subgroup variation in rates and differences in pattern of specific disorders. Merely 0.04% of Tennessee Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with any type of alcoholism, a rate much lower than those reported in previous studies. Rates of alcohol disorders varied across groups, with significantly higher rates for Black men. The type alcohol disorder also varied across groups. Conclusions: Many encounters with the medical system result in missed opportunities to identify and treat alcohol disorders, a significant risk factor among older adults. Alcoholism both triggers and exacerbates many chronic conditions among older adults. The earlier in the disease trajectory the more of these conditions could be prevented or more efficiently managed, resulting in substantial savings in health care costs.
At-Risk Drinking among Patients Making Routine Primary Care Visits
Preventive Medicine, 2000
of tobacco and marijuana use, relatively poor per-Background: Addressing non-alcoholic, at-risk patceived health, and the highest proportion of negative terns of alcohol consumption that are associated with consequences from drinking. increased morbidity and mortality is an important Conclusions: At least 1 in 10 patients making routine health care priority. primary care visits have drinking practices that place Objective: The objective was to describe the prevathem at risk for negative consequences from drinking. lence and characteristics of at-risk drinkers in a popu-Three drinking patterns that can be used to define atlation-based sample of adults with routine primary risk drinking are relatively distinct. ᭧ 2000 American Health care visits.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2011
To examine the prevalence, sociodemographic, and health-related correlates of substance use disorders, including alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use among adults aged 65 years and older. The 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a cross-sectional survey of a population-based sample. The United States. Eight thousand two hundred five adults aged 65 years and older. Prevalence of lifetime and past 12-month Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, determined alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical drug use disorders. Prevalence of any substance use disorder was 21.1% during the lifetime and 5.4% in the past 12 months. Lifetime and past 12-month alcohol use disorders were 16.1% and 1.5%; tobacco use disorders were 8.7% and 4.0%; and nonmedical drug use disorders were 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively. Younger age was associated with greater odds of any lifetime or past 12-month substance use disorders. Men and those who were di...