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Alcohol Consumption by Older Adults in Central and Southern Japan

School of Public Health and National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia

Andy H. Lee, PhD

School of Public Health and National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, andy.lee{at}curtin.edu.au

Colin W. Binns, PhD

School of Public Health and National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia

Chikako Okumura, OTR

Faculty of Health Science, Kumamoto Health Science University, Kumamoto, Japan

Sokatsu Yamamoto, MSc

Faculty of Health Science, Kumamoto Health Science University, Kumamoto, Japan

This study ascertained the level of alcohol intake and alcoholic beverages consumed by Japanese older adults. Persons aged 55 to 75 years residing in central and southern Japan were recruited and interviewed face-to-face on their habitual alcohol consumption. Among the 577 (359 men and 218 women) participants from 10 districts/prefectures, 60.5% (75.5% for men and 35.7% for women) regularly drank alcoholic beverages on at least a monthly basis. Beer was the most preferred beverage (45.2%), followed by shochu (19.8%) and sake (16.1%). The mean alcohol consumption was 22.2 g/day (95% confidence interval 19.3-25.2) overall, but drinkers had a much higher mean intake of 36.6 g/day (95% CI 32.4-40.8). Moreover, it is alarming that 25.5% of male drinkers were heavy drinkers consuming more than 60 g of alcohol on average per day. Alcohol control measures should be developed to curtail the excessive drinking by older adults.

Key Words: alcohol intake • Japan • older adults • prevalence

This version was published on April 1, 2009

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 21, No. 2, 170-176 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1010539509331591


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