Gender-specific characteristics of alcohol use in community-dwelling older adults in Belgium

Objectives Gender has been identified as an important social determinant for health. This study investigates gender-specific characteristics for alcohol use (AU) among community-dwelling older adults. Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional study in 1.406 community-dwelling older adults. We used standardized questionnaires to collect self-reported data on alcohol use behavior, mental health, drinking motives and resilience by using, respectively, the Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Multiple linear regression was used to identify the joint contribution of those factors on AU. Hierarchical regression was used to investigate the influence of the interaction between gender and those factors on AU. Results Linear regression analyses showed different associations with AU in men and women. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that gender presented a two-way interaction effect with enhancement and anxiety variables related to AU. Conclusions Different characteristics were found as predictors for AU among older men and women. Clinical implications Clinicians and health-care providers should be aware of these differences in order to provide tailored screening and intervention programs to reduce AU in older adults.