Primary care-based intervention to reduce at-risk drinking in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Primary care-based intervention to reduce at-risk drinking in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Moore Alison A; Blow Fred C; Hoffing Marc; Welgreen Sandra; Davis James W; Lin James C; Ramirez Karina D; Liao Diana H; Lingqi Tang; Gould Robert; Gill Monica; Chen Oriana; Barry Kristen L

Addiction

2011

2011-01

To examine whether a multi-faceted intervention among older at-risk drinking primary care patients reduced at-risk drinking and alcohol consumption at 3 and 12 months. Randomized controlled trial. Three primary care sites in southern California. Six hundred and thirty-one adults aged ≥ 55 years who were at-risk drinkers identified by the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool (CARET) were assigned randomly between October 2004 and April 2007 during an office visit to receive a booklet on healthy behaviors or an intervention including a personalized report, booklet on alcohol and aging, drinking diary, advice from the primary care provider and telephone counseling from a health educator at 2, 4 and 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants meeting at-risk criteria, and secondary outcomes were number of drinks in past 7 days, heavy drinking (four or more drinks in a day) in the past 7 days and risk score. At 3 months, relative to controls, fewer intervention group participants were at-risk drinkers [odds ratio (OR) 0.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.75]; they reported drinking fewer drinks in the past 7 days [rate ratio (RR) 0.79; 95% CI 0.70-0.90], less heavy drinking (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.22-0.99) and had lower risk scores (RR 0.77 95% CI 0.63-0.94). At 12 months, only the difference in number of drinks remained statistically significant (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-0.99). A multi-faceted intervention among older at-risk drinkers in primary care does not reduce the proportions of at-risk or heavy drinkers, but does reduce amount of drinking at 12 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LOGISTIC regression analysis; RANDOMIZED controlled trials; ELDER care; INTERVENTION (Social services); COMORBIDITY; MEDICAL screening; PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of alcohol; PRIMARY care; ALCOHOLICS – Health

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