Brief alcohol interventions with older adults: a systematic review of literature

ABSTRACT

The current systematic review analyzed empirical studies examining the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions (BAI) for at-risk older adults. The authors independently reviewed the literature according to specific a priori criteria. Quantity and frequency of drinking, binge-drinking days, and drinking risks comprised the outcome measures. The current review yielded 11 studies representing randomized controlled trials or experimental designs that employed random assignment. Among reviewed studies, seven (63.6%) showed a positive effect with only one showing no positive effect of the intervention. For the remaining 3 (27.2%), the positive effect of the intervention was not conclusively determined due to study design issues. Findings, overall suggest that BAI are effective in reducing alcohol consumption in the older-adult population. Additional evidence is needed to further knowledge consistent with recent initiatives that promote healthy aging.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol use disorder
• brief alcohol interventions
• drinking
• healthcare
• older adults
• primary care settings
• systematic review

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ In this article, ‘problematic alcohol use,’ ‘alcohol misuse,’ ‘at-risk drinking,’ and ‘at-risk alcohol use’ are terms used interchangeably to refer to drinking behaviors that exceed the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (2018) daily or weekly recommendations for male and female adults.