Table 1.
Characteristics of the participants ≥60 years according to alcohol consumption in the Tromsø Study 1994–2016
| Abstainers | < 100 g ethanol per week | ≥100 g ethanol per week | P-valuee | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women n (%) | Men n (%) | Women n (%) | Men n (%) | Women n (%) | Men n (%) | ||
| Self-rated health | |||||||
| Poor | 291 (8.6) | 116 (8.0) | 405 (4.7) | 370 (4.4) | 23 (2.7) | 80 (5.0) | < 0.001 |
| Fair | 1767 (52.2) | 619 (42.9) | 3296 (37.9) | 2989 (35.2) | 216 (25.6) | 445 (27.6) | |
| Good | 1197 (35.4) | 619 (42.9) | 4296 (49.3) | 4523 (53.2) | 449 (53.3) | 901 (55.9) | |
| Excellent | 129 (3.8) | 89 (6.2) | 711 (8.2) | 617 (7.3) | 155 (18.4) | 186 (11.5) | |
| Age group | |||||||
| 60–64 years | 635 (18.7) | 296 (20.4) | 3098 (35.4) | 2909 (34.1) | 398 (47.0) | 656 (40.5) | < 0.001 |
| 65–69 years | 715 (21.0) | 318 (22.0) | 2444 (27.9) | 2366 (27.8) | 232 (27.4) | 508 (31.4) | |
| 70–74 years | 749 (22.0) | 326 (22.5) | 1642 (18.8) | 1759 (20.6) | 122 (14.4) | 262 (16.2) | |
| 75 years and older | 1302 (38.3) | 508 (35.1) | 1566 (17.9) | 1492 (17.5) | 95 (11.2) | 192 (11.9) | |
| Total† | 3401 (70.1) | 1448 (29.9) | 8750 (50.6) | 8526 (49.4) | 1618 (65.6) | 847 (34.4) | |
| Educational level | |||||||
| Elementary school (up to 10 years) | 2587 (77.0) | 860 (59.9) | 4423 (50.9) | 3500 (41.3) | 160 (19.0) | 293 (18.2) | < 0.001 |
| High school (up to an additional three-four years) | 513 (15.3) | 368 (25.6) | 2341 (26.9) | 2691 (31.8) | 251 (29.8) | 465 (28.9) | |
| College/university, short and long | 259 (7.7) | 207 (14.4) | 1928 (22.2) | 2277 (26.9) | 431 (51.2) | 851 (52.9) | |
| Relationship status | |||||||
| Live with a spouse or a partner | 1527 (52.3) | 1027 (77.9) | 5103 (62.6) | 6714 (81.7) | 587 (71.8) | 1317 (83.5) | < 0.001 |
| Live alone | 1393 (47.7) | 291 (22.1) | 3047 (37.4) | 1506 (18.3) | 230 (28.2) | 261 (16.5) | |
| Enough friends and social support | |||||||
| Yes | 2536 (85.3) | 1106 (86.3) | 7487 (89.9) | 7243 (89.2) | 777 (92.6) | 1424 (89.5) | < 0.001 |
| No | 436 (14.7) | 176 (13.7) | 839 (10.1) | 880 (10.8) | 62 (7.4) | 167 (10.5) | |
| Average physical activity per week | |||||||
| Inactive | 794 (24.1) | 257 (18.1) | 960 (11.2) | 840 (10.0) | 52 (6.3) | 143 (8.9) | < 0.001 |
| < 1 Hour | 568 (17.2) | 212 (14.9) | 1489 (17.4) | 1776 (21.1) | 121 (14.6) | 318 (19.8) | |
| 1–2 hours | 898 (27.2) | 376 (26.4) | 2852 (33.3) | 2533 (30.2) | 306 (36.8) | 465 (29.0) | |
| ≥ 3 hours | 1038 (31.5) | 577 (40.6) | 3269 (38.1) | 3251 (38.7) | 352 (42.4) | 677 (42.2) | |
| Health impact index (HII)a | |||||||
| Not ill (HII = 0) | 1057 (31.1) | 552 (38.1) | 3136 (35.8) | 4107 (48.2) | 379 (44.7) | 915 (56.6) | < 0.001 |
| Mildly ill (HII = 1–2) | 815 (24.0) | 417 (28.8) | 2707 (30.9) | 2320 (27.2) | 284 (33.5) | 427 (26.4) | |
| Moderately ill (HII = 3–5) | 894 (26.3) | 321 (22.2) | 1854 (21.2) | 1505 (17.6) | 144 (17.0) | 216 (13.3) | |
| Seriously ill (HII ≥ 6) | 635 (18.7) | 158 (10.9) | 1054 (12.0) | 594 (7.0) | 40 (4.7) | 60 (3.7) | |
| Body Mass Index | |||||||
| Lean (< 25 kg/m2) | 1077 (32.0) | 481 (33.5) | 3286 (37.7) | 2594 (30.5) | 398 (47.2) | 458 (28.3) | < 0.001 |
| Overweight (25–30 kg/m2) | 1338 (39.7) | 721 (50.2) | 3564 (40.9) | 4279 (50.3) | 339 (40.2) | 846 (52.4) | |
| Obese (≥30 kg/m2) | 954 (28.3) | 234 (16.3) | 1866 (21.4) | 1627 (19.1) | 107 (12.7) | 312 (19.3) | |
| Blood pressure | |||||||
| < 140/90 mmHg | 1082 (31.9) | 587 (40.5) | 4057 (46.4) | 3955 (46.4) | 457 (54.1) | 727 (45.0) | < 0.001 |
| ≥ 140/90 mmHg | 2311 (68.1) | 861 (59.5) | 4681 (53.6) | 4563 (53.6) | 388 (45.9) | 888 (55.0) | |
| Total cholesterol | |||||||
| < 5.0 mmol/l | 425 (12.5) | 434 (30.1) | 1267 (14.5) | 2401 (28.2) | 108 (12.8) | 433 (26.8) | < 0.001 |
| ≥ 5.0 mmol/l | 2963 (87.5) | 1008 (69.9) | 7445 (85.5) | 6105 (71.8) | 736 (87.2) | 1182 (73.2) | |
| Never smoked | 1666 (60.2) | 393 (29.0) | 3051 (37.8) | 1959 (23.8) | 236 (28.6) | 365 (23.1) | < 0.001 |
| > 1–20 years | 270 (9.8) | 201 (14.8) | 1394 (17.3) | 1381 (16.8) | 159 (19.3) | 298 (18.9) | |
| ≥20 years | 832 (30.1) | 760 (56.2) | 3621 (44.9) | 4889 (59.4) | 429 (52.1) | 916 (58.0) | |
| Mental distressb | |||||||
| No symptoms | 582 (18.2) | 413 (29.4) | 1935 (23.2) | 3010 (36.3) | 218 (26.5) | 580 (36.1) | < 0.001 |
| Some symptoms | 1461 (45.7) | 675 (48.1) | 3792 (45.5) | 3756 (45.2) | 361 (43.9) | 687 (42.8) | |
| Sub-threshold symptoms | 767 (24.0) | 229 (16.3) | 1893 (22.7) | 1226 (14.8) | 169 (20.5) | 252 (15.7) | |
| Significant symptoms | 384 (12.0) | 86 (6.1) | 723 (8.7) | 311 (3.7) | 75 (9.1) | 86 (5.4) | |
| Use of sleeping pills/tranquilisersc | |||||||
| Not used last 2/4 weeks | 2538 (74.6) | 1215 (83.9) | 6741 (77.0) | 7581 (88.9) | 669 (79.0) | 1383 (85.5) | < 0.001 |
| Have used last 2/4 weeks | 863 (25.4) | 233 (16.1) | 2009 (23.0) | 945 (11.1) | 178 (21.0) | 235 (14.5) | |
| Heavy episodic drinkingd | |||||||
| 6+ less frequently than monthly | 3105 (99.9) | 1301 (99.8) | 7301 (98.1) | 6893 (91.6) | 696 (86.0) | 937 (61.5) | < 0.001 |
| 6+ monthly or more often | 4 (0.1) | 3 (0.2) | 143 (1.9) | 634 (8.4) | 114 (14.0) | 591 (38.7) | |
| Average alcohol consumption per week (SD) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.8 (15.5) | 18.2 (17.1) | 118.8 (48.9) | 139.0 (74.3) | < 0.001 |
†Total = sex distribution in each alcohol consumption category
aHII measures physical illness according to the impact that each condition has on SRH
bIn 1994–95, the seven-item CONOR Mental Health Index (CONOR-MHI) was used, whereas in the three subsequent surveys, the ten-item Hopkins Symptom Check List-10 (HSCL-10) was used
cThe proportion includes the use of either or both sleeping pills/tranquilisers. In 1994–95, the time frame asked was “during the last 2 weeks”, while in the three subsequent surveys it was “during the last 4 weeks”
dOnly participants < 70 years were asked the question “how often do you drink 6+ units in one occasion” in 1994–95
eP-values are based on chi square test for all categorical covariates, not stratified by sex: SRH: Pearson chi2 (6) = 719.93, p = < 0.000; 5-year age group: Pearson chi2 (6) = 1.3e+ 03, p < 0.000; Educational level: Pearson chi2 (4) = 2.4e+ 03, < 0.000; Relationship status: Pearson chi2 (2) = 330.10, p < 0.000; Social support: Pearson chi2 (2) = 60.65, < 0.000; Activity level: Pearson chi2 (6) = 516.30, p < 0.000; HII group: Pearson chi2 (6) = 547.25, p < 0.000; BMI: Pearson chi2 (4) = 69.85, p < 0.000; Hypertension: Pearson chi2 (2) = 235.72, p < 0.000; Hypercholesterolemia: Pearson chi2 (2) = 31.38, p < 0.000; Smoke: Pearson chi2 (4) = 636.11, p < 0.000; Mental distress: Pearson chi2 (6) = 208.38, p < 0.000; Use of sleeping pills: Pearson chi2 (2) = 80.79, p < 0.000; Heavy episodic drinking: Pearson chi2 (2) = 2.4e+ 03, p < 0.000. P-value for average alcohol consumption (continuous) is based on ANOVA: F (2) = 18,267.32, p < 0.000