Alcohol Use Throughout the Life Span

1
Alcohol Use Throughout the Life Span

• M. Burns, PhD, RD
• FCS 4753

2
Session Outcomes

• Differentiate the various effects of alcohol
  abuse in the lifespan phases.
• Analyze prevalence trends for alcohol consumption
  in various sub-populations.

3
Life Stages

• Pregnancy
• Childhood/ Adolescence
• College-age
• Middle-age/women
• Older adults

4
Pregnancy - FAS

• Drinking during pregnancy leads to
• Increased risk of miscarriage
• Low birth weight babies
• Stillbirth
• Death in early infancy

5
Action of alcohol on the fetus

• Alcohol passes quickly through the placenta
• Due to the infants immature body, the movement
  of the alcohol through the body is slower, thus
  increasing the effects.

6
What is FAS?

• Pattern of mental and physical birth defects
  common in babies of mothers who drink heavily
  during pregnancy.
• Each year between 1,300 and 8,000 babies in the
  US are born with FAS
• Occurs in 6 of babies born to women who are
  alcoholics

7
(No Transcript)
8
Effects of FAS

• Behavioral
• Social
• Cognitive
• Nutritional
• Physical

9
The Child with FAS
10
(No Transcript)
11
Childhood/Adolescence

• Consuming alcohol for the first time
• Driving under the influence
• Binge drinking
• Not knowing limits or smart drinking

12
A few definitions

• Current use at least one drink in the past 30
  days
• Binge use 5 drinks on the same occasion at
  least once in the past 30 days
• Heavy use 5 drinks on the same occasion on at
  least 5 different days in the past 30 days

13
Alcohol Use by Age 2004
14
Alcohol Use by Ethnicity 2004
15
Relationship of alcohol and family meal times

• Teens who have dinner with their families twice a
  week or less are at DOUBLE the risk of substance
  abuse who eat dinner with family at least 5 times
  per week.
• Teens who have family dinners 5 nights/week are
  32 less likely to smoke, 45 less likely to have
  tried alcohol, and 24 less likely to have smoked
  marijuana.

16
College-age
17
Alcohol Use in the Older Population

• Among those age 65 and older, an estimated 2 to
  10 percent have a significant alcohol problem.
• 7-22 of older adults who are hospitalized for
  medical problems have significant alcohol-related
  problems

18
Alcohol Use by Age 02/03 Data
19
Older Adult Alcohol Use by Ethnicity and Gender
02/03 Data
20
Lifelong v. Late-onset abusers

• Lifelong
• Poorer prognosis
• Non-compliant with treatment

• Late onset
• Response to stressors (retirement, death of
  spouse)
• More responsive to treatment

21
Age-related factors

• Higher BAC with same amount of alcohol
• Drug-alcohol interactions
• Malnutrition
• Forget how much consumed
• Decreased enzyme function