[Alcohol consumption among traveling Chilean older people]

Problems associated with alcohol consumption are prevalent in Chile, but little is known about the situation in the elderly.

To perform a screening to detect alcohol-related problems and risks in the Chilean older people who travel.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire was answered by 1,076 travelers aged 60 to 93 years (66% females), who participated in trips organized by the Chilean National Tourism Service (SERNATUR).

Seventy six percent of respondents acknowledged to have ingested an alcoholic drink during the last month. The average AUDIT score was of 2.2 ± 2.6. Only 3.7% of the sample had a score equal or higher than eight, considered as risky use. Within this last group, 60% had symptoms of alcohol dependence. A higher alcohol consumption was associated with male gender (p < 0.01), being younger than 75 years of age (p < 0.01), having a medium-low economic income (p < 0.01) and having a higher education level (p = 0.03). There was no significant association with the respondents' occupation.

In this sample of Chilean traveling older people, there was a high prevalence of alcohol consumption, and nearly 4% of respondents had alcohol related problems.