In the peer-reviewed journal Addiction, researchers at Columbia University have uncovered that older adults residing in wealthy countries are more likely to frequently consume alcohol.
For the study, the survey data of an estimated 100,000 participants over the age of 50 from more than a dozen nations were analyzed. Nations included the United States, China, Israel, Mexico, and South Korea.
From the published results: “Alcohol consumption was negatively associated with age, but there was substantial cross‐country variation in the age‐related differences in alcohol consumption, even after adjusting for the composition of populations.
“Use and harmful use of alcohol among older adults appears to vary widely across age and countries. This variation can be partly explained both by the country‐specific composition of populations and country‐level contextual factors such as development level and alcohol prices.”
The study was funded by the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, in addition to the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center Faculty Fellowship.
