Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Factors among an Elderly Community Sample in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) in the elderly are associated with impairments in physical, psychological, social and cognitive functioning. Both the elderly men and women who drink alcohol are at a greater risk of social isolation and economic deprivation and the women in particular are in the danger of rapid development of dependence a phenomenon termed “telescoping” dependence. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of alcohol use disorders as well as their associated factors among the elderly in Jos South LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study of elderly (≥60 years) men and women. A total of 400 out of a total of 422 elderly community dwellers identified were interviewed with the aid of a composite questionnaire incorporating the socio-demography, Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: The lifetime and current prevalence of alcohol use were 69.8% and 45.5% respectively. The prevalence of AUDs was (n = 52, 13.0%). AUDs was significantly associated with being male (OR = 2.57, 95%CI: 1.35 - 3.77, p < 0.01). Participants with AUDs were more likely to report difficulty ambulating (χ2 = 0.34, 0.56), cardiovascular (χ2 = 0.42, p = 0.52), respiratory (χ2 = 0.55, p = 0.46), and digestive (χ2 = 0.17, p = 0.68) problems, though not statistically significant. Similarly, no significant associations were seen with probable psychiatric co-morbidity (χ2 = 2.35, p = 0.13) and chronic pain (χ2 = 0.52, p = 0.47). Conclusions: Alcohol use and use disorders were common in this elderly cohort. AUDs were associated with poorer health indices.