Predictors of binge drinking in elderly Americans.

BACKGROUND: The increasing trend in elderly binge drinking in the U.S. is cause for alarm. We sought to describe the predictors of binge drinking in elderly men and women and evaluate the relationship between binge drinking and mental health disorders in this population.

METHODS: The 2008 Centers for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey was utilized to identify a cohort of 4,815 individuals in the U.S. of age 65 or older. The primary outcome of interest was self-reported binge drinking, defined as an affirmative response to the question: "How many times in the past 30 days have you had more than five drinks (in men) or more than four drinks (in women) on an occasion?"

RESULTS: Among 4,815 elderly participants studied, a total of 466 (9.7%) participants reported binge drinking over the past 30 days while 4,349 (90.3%) participants reported no binge drinking. Binge drinking was not associated with anxiety or depressive disorders in the overall population, however, elderly women reporting binge drinking had higher rates of depressive disorders. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of binge drinking in elderly participants included younger age, male gender, smoking, absence of college education, lower annual income, and absence of coronary artery disease. Predictors of binge drinking differed in elderly men and women.

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Younger age, male gender, smoking, lack of college education, lower annual income, and absence of coronary artery disease are independently associated with higher rates of binge drinking among elderly Americans. Elderly men and women had disparate predictors of binge drinking. This study provides valuable information to be applied to the substance abuse screening process in elderly men and women.