Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at
6:07 pm
Prevalence of alcohol and drug use in a highly educated workforce.
This study examined alcohol and licit and illicit drug use in a highly educated medical related workforce.
A comprehensive health survey of a 10% random sample of a workforce (n = 8,567) yielded a 60% response rate (n = 504) after accounting for 15 undeliverable surveys.
- Many respondents reported past-year use of alcohol (87%).
- Thirteen percent of respondents consumed three or more drinks daily; 15% were binge drinkers.
- Twelve percent of the workforce was assessed as having a high likelihood of lifetime alcohol dependence;
- 5% of respondents met criteria for current problem drinking.
- Overall, 42% reported using mood-altering prescription drugs (analgesics, antidepressants, sedatives, or tranquilizers).
- Eleven percent reported using illicit drugs (cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, or marijuana) in the past year.
Significant relationships were found between gender, age, ethnicity, and occupation with some measures of alcohol consumption and use of mood-altering drugs.
These results indicate prevention and early intervention programs need to address use of mood-altering substances (including alcohol) in highly educated workforces.
Research; J Behav Health Serv Res. ;29(1):30-44. Prevalence of alcohol and drug use in a highly educated workforce. Matano RA, Wanat SF, Westrup D, Koopman C, Whitsell SD.
See also;
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at
1:38 am
Tolerance Equals More Consumption for Older Problem Drinkers
Adults over age 60 who have alcohol problems tend to drink more than their younger counterparts, probably because they have developed greater tolerance for alcohol, according to researchers at Ohio State University.
Science Daily reported that a study found that alcohol-dependent individuals over age 60 consumed an average of more than 40 drinks per week, compared to 25-35 among younger people with similar levels of dependence.
Researchers said that older drinkers developed tolerance for alcohol, meaning they had to drink more to get the same effects.
The older drinkers also reported more monthly binge-drinking episodes.
“A combination of high levels of drinking and the physiological effects of aging are particularly problematic for older adults,” noted researcher Linda Ginzer.
Younger Americans were still more likely to have drinking problems than older Americans, however.
Researchers found that binge drinking was more common among Americans classified as alcohol abusers than among those who were heavy drinkers but not seen as problem drinkers.
“That suggests binge drinking may be a better measure of problem drinking than just the total amount of drinks someone has per week,” Ginzer said.
The findings, drawn on findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, were unveiled at a recent meeting of the Gerontological Society of America. From; Join Together Online.
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at
4:24 pm
Domestic violence
Intimate partner violence against women is prevalent and is associated with poor health outcomes.
Understanding indicators of exposure to intimate partner violence can assist health care professionals to identify and respond to abused women. This study was undertaken to determine the strength of association between selected evidence-based risk indicators and exposure to intimate partner violence.
In this cross-sectional study of 768 women aged 18-64 years who presented to 2 emergency departments in Ontario, Canada, participants answered questions about risk indicators and completed the Composite Abuse Scale to determine their exposure to intimate partner violence in the past year.
Results: Intimate partner violence was significantly associated with
- being separated,
- in a common-law relationship or
- single
- depression
- somatic symptoms
- having a male partner who was employed less than part time, or
- having a partner with an alcohol or
- drug problem
Each unit increase in the number of indicators corresponded to a four-fold increase in the risk of intimate partner violence; women with 3 or more indicators had a greater than 50% probability of a positive score on the Composite Abuse Scale.
Intimate partner violence was not associated with pregnancy status.
Specific characteristics of male partners, relationships and women’s mental health are significantly related to exposure to intimate partner violence in the past year. Identification of these indicators has implications for the clinical care of women who present to health care settings. (Source: Open Medicine
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at
7:43 pm
Are Brief Alcohol Interventions Likely to be Effective in Routine Primary Care Practice?
A number of meta-analyses have demonstrated the modest efficacy of brief interventions (BI) for nondependent unhealthy alcohol use in primary care settings.
Whether this level of efficacy can be expected when BIs are delivered outside of research studies in not known.
This systematic review identified 22 randomized trials including over 5800 patients. Investigators classified the trials on a spectrum from tightly controlled (efficacy design) to real world (effectiveness design) studies.
The scale considered whether patients presented to health care with a range of conditions, whether practices delivered a full range of medical services, whether practitioners routinely worked in the service rather than being funded by the trial, and whether the intervention could be delivered within standard visit times.
- Participants who received BI drank approximately 3 standard drinks per week less than those who did not.
- Longer duration of intervention was not significantly associated with a larger effect.
- The effect of BI on drinking was similar in studies regardless of whether they were tightly controlled or had more real world characteristics.
Comments by Michael Levy, PhD
This meta-analytic study showed the benefit of BI in reducing alcohol consumption in both controlled and real world primary care settings.
It seems logical to assume similar results could be achieved in community treatment programs.
Since BI in the studies reviewed was designed to achieve a reduction in alcohol consumption, treatment programs could consider implementing BI for patients who are not interested in achieving abstinence but who want to reduce their intake.
Reference: Kaner EF, Dickinson HO, Beyer F, et al. The effectiveness of brief alcohol intervention in primary care settings: a systematic review. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2009;28(3):301–323.
From; Join Together Online
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at
6:05 am
Injury Risk Highest Among Binge Drinkers
Binge drinkers have a higher risk of alcohol-related injury than chronic, heavy drinkers, the Health Behavior News Service reported Feb. 22.
Binge-drinking women who otherwise drink in moderation had seven times the risk of injury as nondrinkers, while binge-drinking men increased their injury risk sixfold.
“It’s not only the amount of alcohol consumed that shapes the risk for injury, but also the usual consumption pattern,” said study author Gerhard Gmel of the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems. “At highest risk are those who usually consume moderately but sometimes binge drink. This is true for both sexes.”
The study was based on records from 8,736 people admitted to hospital emergency departments; researchers examined the relationship of injuries to average weekly alcohol consumption, binge-drinking episodes, and the amount of alcohol consumed prior to admission.
Gmel warned against prevention that focuses only on chronic drinkers, saying that many binge drinkers will be missed.
The research appears in the March 2006 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. From; Join Together Online
