Table 1.
Study population, prevalence of psychotropic drug use and alcohol consumption among adults aged 60– 79 years by sociodemographic and health-related factors: German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1) 2008–2011
| Study population |
Psychotropic drug use (n=518) |
Alcohol consumption—by frequency |
Alcohol consumption—by quantity |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At least once a week (n=1295) |
At least once a day (n=468) |
Moderate drinking† (n=1659) |
Risky drinking‡ (n=459) |
|||||||||
| N | Per cent | Per cent | 95% CI | Per cent | 95% CI | Per cent | 95% CI | Per cent | 95% CI | Per cent | 95% CI | |
| Total | 2508 | 100.0 | 21.4 | 19.3 to 23.7 | 51.0 | 48.1 to 53.9 | 18.4 | 16.3 to 20.7 | 66.9 | 64.1 to 69.5 | 17.0 | 14.9 to 19.2 |
| Sex | ||||||||||||
| Men | 1231 | 46.9 | 15.9 | 13.2 to 18.9 | 68.4** | 64.8 to 71.8 | 29.7** | 26.2 to 33.4 | 67.3 | 63.7 to 70.7 | 23.9** | 20.7 to 27.3 |
| Women | 1277 | 53.1 | 26.3** | 23.2 to 29.7 | 35.2 | 31.8 to 38.9 | 8.1 | 6.4 to 10.2 | 66.5 | 62.6 to 70.2 | 10.9 | 9.0 to 13.2 |
| Age group, years | ||||||||||||
| 60–69 | 1398 | 52.5 | 18.1 | 15.5 to 21.1 | 52.9 | 49.1 to 56.7 | 18.9 | 16.1 to 22.0 | 64.4 | 61.0 to 67.7 | 18.8 | 16.0 to 22.0 |
| 70–79 | 1110 | 47.5 | 25.1* | 21.4 to 29.1 | 48.8 | 44.9 to 52.7 | 17.8 | 15.1 to 21.0 | 69.7* | 65.5 to 73.6 | 14.8 | 12.1 to 18.0 |
| Region of residence§ | ||||||||||||
| Northern Germany | 644 | 25.8 | 19.4 | 15.4 to 24.1 | 42.4 | 36.6 to 48.3 | 14.5 | 11.0 to 18.8 | 66.2 | 60.7 to 71.3 | 16.8 | 12.6 to 22.0 |
| Central Germany | 1141 | 41.3 | 22.0 | 19.0 to 25.3 | 49.1 | 45.2 to 53.0 | 16.4 | 13.6 to 19.7 | 69.1 | 65.5 to 72.5 | 12.8 | 10.8 to 15.2 |
| Southern Germany | 723 | 32.9 | 22.3 | 18.4 to 26.8 | 60.2** | 55.7 to 64.6 | 24.0* | 20.0 to 28.4 | 64.7 | 59.1 to 69.9 | 22.3** | 18.3 to 26.9 |
| Social status | ||||||||||||
| Lower | 436 | 24.1 | 25.4* | 20.6 to 30.9 | 39.4 | 33.3 to 45.8 | 16.2 | 12.1 to 21.4 | 65.2 | 58.4 to 71.4 | 12.8 | 9.2 to 17.4 |
| Middle | 1489 | 59.3 | 21.4 | 18.6 to 24.4 | 51.3 | 47.5 to 55.0 | 17.9 | 15.3 to 20.7 | 67.8 | 64.5 to 70.8 | 16.0 | 13.6 to 18.7 |
| Upper | 562 | 16.5 | 15.3 | 12.0 to 19.4 | 65.7** | 59.8 to 71.1 | 23.3 | 19.2 to 27.9 | 67.2 | 61.8 to 72.2 | 26.3** | 21.6 to 31.7 |
| Living alone | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 507 | 21.3 | 27.7* | 22.7 to 33.4 | 36.0 | 29.8 to 42.7 | 9.9 | 7.2 to 13.5 | 62.5 | 56.3 to 68.3 | 12.0 | 8.9 to 16.0 |
| No | 1987 | 78.7 | 19.6 | 17.4 to 22.2 | 55.0** | 51.9 to 58.1 | 20.6** | 18.1 to 23.4 | 68.3 | 65.4 to 71.1 | 18.2** | 16.0 to 20.7 |
| Smoking | ||||||||||||
| Smoker | 302 | 12.5 | 17.7 | 12.7 to 24.0 | 53.0 | 45.1 to 60.7 | 30.4** | 23.7 to 38.0 | 55.5** | 48.4 to 62.5 | 26.2** | 19.9 to 33.7 |
| Ex-smoker | 927 | 36.3 | 21.0 | 17.6 to 24.9 | 60.7** | 56.0 to 65.1 | 21.7 | 18.3 to 25.7 | 66.1 | 61.7 to 70.2 | 21.4 | 17.9 to 25.4 |
| Never-smoker | 1265 | 51.2 | 22.1 | 19.0 to 25.6 | 44.2 | 40.4 to 48.1 | 13.3 | 11.0 to 16.0 | 70.6 | 66.5 to 74.4 | 11.7 | 9.7 to 14.1 |
| Health status | ||||||||||||
| Better | 1503 | 58.2 | 13.1 | 11.0 to 15.5 | 55.7** | 52.0 to 59.4 | 20.9* | 18.1 to 24.0 | 67.1 | 63.4 to 70.6 | 19.8** | 16.9 to 23.1 |
| Worse | 986 | 41.8 | 32.5** | 28.7 to 36.6 | 44.3 | 40.2 to 48.5 | 14.8 | 12.2 to 17.8 | 66.6 | 62.7 to 70.3 | 13.0 | 10.9 to 15.5 |
| Certified disability | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 649 | 29.1 | 30.6** | 26.0 to 35.5 | 47.8 | 42.1 to 53.6 | 14.8 | 11.6 to 18.7 | 66.9 | 62.2 to 71.3 | 13.5 | 10.4 to 17.4 |
| No | 1801 | 70.9 | 17.2 | 15.1 to 19.6 | 52.4 | 49.2 to 55.6 | 19.8* | 17.4 to 22.4 | 66.9 | 63.8 to 69.8 | 18.4 | 16.2 to 20.9 |
| Polypharmacy¶ | ||||||||||||
| Yes | 771 | 30.7 | 37.8** | 33.8 to 42.1 | 46.5 | 42.4 to 50.7 | 17.6 | 14.8 to 20.8 | 67.7 | 63.7 to 71.4 | 14.5 | 12.2 to 17.3 |
| No | 1730 | 69.3 | 9.4 | 7.5 to 11.8 | 54.3** | 50.7 to 57.9 | 19.1 | 16.2 to 22.3 | 66.5 | 63.0 to 69.9 | 18.7* | 16.0 to 21.8 |
Missing values for: psychotropic drug use (n=7), alcohol use at least once a week and once a day (n=135), moderate and risky drinking (n=46), social status (n=16), living alone (n=14), smoking (n=14), health status (n=19), certified disability (n=58), polypharmacy (n=7).
*p<0.05 or **p<0.01, Rao-Scott second-order χ2 test; figures in bold denote statistical significance.
†Moderate drinking: average daily consumption of alcohol between >0 and<10 g for women, and between >0 and<20 g for men.
‡Risky drinking: average daily consumption of alcohol≥10 g for women, and≥20 g for men.
§Regions: Northern Germany (federal states: Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein); Central Germany (Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia), Southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland).
¶Polypharmacy: use of five or more drugs including prescribed and OTC drugs in the last 7 days.
All percentages and 95% CIs were weighted according to the German national population of 31 December 2010.