Alcohol use disorder is a risk factor for mortality among older public housing residents

Epidemiologic survey data were used to examine relationships between alcohol use and abuse and the physical and mental health status of elderly public housing residents (weighted n = 865) and to determine the influence that drinking behavior had on mortality. Residents with a current alcohol disorder (4%) were more likely to rate their physical health as fair/poor but had fewer major medical illnesses, functional impairments, and other current psychiatric disorders. Individuals with a current or past alcohol disorder (22%) were more likely than others to die (odds ratio [OR] = 7.5) during the 28-month follow-up period. In multivariate analyses, women with a past alcohol disorder were more likely than lifetime abstainers to die (OR = 21.9). Drinking behavior was not predictive of death in men. The high prevalence of alcohol disorder and its strong influence on mortality in this predominantly African-American female population demonstrate the need for programs designed to prevent and treat alcoholism in public housing developments for the elderly.