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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Alcoholism in a geriatric outpatient clinic of Sao Paulo, Brazil | | Author(s) | Edson S Hirata, Osvaldo P Almeida, Rossana R Funari |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 9, no 1, March 1997 |
| Pages | pp 95-103 |
| Keywords | Alcoholism ; Screening ; Older men ; Brazil. |
| Annotation | Alcohol abuse and dependence are an increasing health problem among older people, however, there is little information on their prevalence and associated risk factors in developing countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and associated clinical/demographic features of alcoholism in a sample of older men attending a geriatric outpatient clinic in the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Three hundred and four patients were assessed with the Brazilian version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and a semi-structured questionnaire designed to investigate associated features. Lifetime alcoholism was present in 15.1% of the sample, although only 4.3% were active drinkers. Patients classified as "cases" were: younger than their non-alcoholic counterparts; more likely to be black; more likely to rely on their family for financial support; and more likely to acknowledge a positive history of alcoholism. Alcohol abuse or dependence was further associated with heavy smoking. The authors suggest that the use of standardised methods of assessment of alcoholism in general medical settings may increase the detection of cases. (AKM). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980930417 A |
| Classmark | ETA: 3V: BC: 7W6 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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