Title: Alcohol consumption, life course transitions and health in later life
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Relatively little is known about the patterns of drinking in later life, the risk factors associated with excessive drinking at older ages and the relationship between drinking and other health conditions. To date most research on the risk factors of excessive drinking have focussed on younger ages, in part because of the distinctive age profile of drinking but also due to the predominance of life course approaches to health in which risks are accumulated over time. Yet notwithstanding these observations, there is growing awareness among health professionals that drinking at older ages is becoming more of an issue. This has been brought about due to the fact that the UK population is ageing, but also because recent population data on consumption suggest that while levels of consumption are declining among younger generations they are increasing at older ages. Thus excessive drinking in later life is becoming a more discernible public health issue, as more older people are reporting drinking in excess of the recommended weekly amount. Hence the relationship between drinking in later life and health and well-being cannot be ignored. Responsible drinking is associated with some health benefits and these tend to be more significant at older ages. However, drinking can also exacerbate health conditions that are more prominent in later life; such as high blood pressure, diabetes and ulcers as well as increasing the risk of liver disease. One particular cause for concern is the possible interaction between drinking and medication with the average person aged 65 and over taking two prescribed medicines a day and therefore the potential for interactions between medication and alcohol needs to be considered. However, we might expect that the health conditions that develop at older ages might also be associated with a decline in drinking, hence the causality between health and alcohol consumption will be complex and dynamic. It is not only changes to health status that may bring about shifts in drinking behaviour, other transitions associated with housing, employment, family and partnerships may bring about either an increase or decline in alcohol consumption. This study with explore the stability of drinking at later life and the key events that are associated with changes in drinking patterns. The research will be based on analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. This study, which began in 2002 collects data on the health, economic position and quality of life of people aged over 50 and their partners. To date 6 waves are available for analysis. Data on alcohol consumption is available in all waves, though the questions used have changed over time. Cross-sectional analysis of this data will establish the main patterns of drinking in later life and the risk factors associated with binge drinking (excessive drinking on one particular day) and drinking in excess of the recommended weekly limits. The life history data will be used to identify past events and transitions that may be associated with later changes in drinking behaviour. The ELSA dataset contains detailed data on health status and this will be used to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and health status. This analysis will investigate the dynamics of the relationship between changes in alcohol consumption and health conditions and how these are associated with life course transitions as well as past experiences. The research will collaborate with users at all stages of analysis and dissemination and will explore the possibility of a practice-informed modelling approach to the analysis of health behaviours using longitudinal data. The analysis will therefore extend knowledge about the dynamics and heterogeneity of drinking patterns at older ages.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL