Older New Zealanders' alcohol use

This is a series of four reports produced by Massey University and the University of Auckland on the role of alcohol in older people's lives, as well as the patterns of alcohol use in New Zealand. A summary infographic is also available.

The drinking patterns of older New Zealanders: National and International Comparisons

Originally published 8 December 2017

Very little is known about the role of alcohol in older people’s lives over the lifespan, patterns of alcohol use over older adulthood, and how the drinking patterns of older New Zealanders compare with patterns in older adults in other countries. Using data from the New Zealand Health, Work & Retirement Longitudinal Study (NZHWR), this report explores the patterns of drinking in older New Zealanders at a national level and in an international context.

This report presents:

• a review of drinking patterns in older adults
• a comparison of drinking in older Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders
• an international comparison of the alcohol use patterns in older New Zealanders and older adults in eight other countries (England, the United States, South Africa, China, Mexico, Ghana, India and the Russian Federation).

The prevalence of hazardous drinking in older New Zealanders

Originally published 12 September 2018.

In a national survey of older adults, we compared the classification of hazardous versus non-hazardous drinkers based on the AUDIT-C and the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool (CARET).

The CARET is an older adult-specific alcohol screen that assesses alcohol-related risks both based on consumption levels and the presence of factors increasing potential harm, including health conditions associated with alcohol use (such as diabetes), the use of alcohol-interacting medication (such as pain medications), symptoms of health issues or frailty (such as low mood, memory problems, and falls), and alcohol risk behaviours (such as drink-driving).

The longitudinal patterns of alcohol use in older New Zealanders

Originally published 26 September 2018.

This report looks at the role of alcohol in older people’s lives, patterns of alcohol use, and how the drinking patterns of older New Zealanders compare with other countries using 10 years of longitudinal data from the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Longitudinal Study (NZHWR).

In this report, distinct groups of older adults were identified based on their drinking patterns, and then investigated to see whether they could be differentiated based on their sociodemographic and health characteristics.

Five drinking profiles for older adults were found, with 13% of older adults having alcohol consumption patterns that posed a serious and immediate risk to their health (ie drank with moderate or high frequency and consumed many drinks on each occasion). It was also found that older adults were likely to drink with higher frequency if they were male; at the younger stage of older adulthood (around 60-70 years); have a moderate to high level of education; and have a higher economic living standard.

New Zealanders’ alcohol consumption patterns across the lifespan

Originally published 25 October 2018.

This report looked at the initiation of alcohol use, the patterns of alcohol use across the lifespan, and transitions from hazardous to non-hazardous drinking.

The research found two cohorts of women and three cohorts of men who shared the same patterns of drinking frequency and quantity across the lifespan. Overall, hazardous drinking patterns (a combination of drinking frequency, quantity and bingeing) were found to be largely stable across peoples’ lifespan, with long periods of hazardous or non-hazardous drinking being the norm. Going from non-hazardous to hazardous drinking or vice versa was not common; when it occurred, it was usually a singular event such as unemployment prior to mid-life; a relationship breakdown in mid-life; or developing a chronic health condition in young adulthood and mid-life.