The following five articles describe the status of and examine trends in older people’s drinking patterns in recent decades in Denmark (Jensen et al., 2020), Finland (Tigerstedt, Härkönen et al., 2020), Norway (Bye & Moan, 2020) and Sweden (Raninen & Agahi, 2020). Since the 1980s alcohol consumption in these and many other countries has become more widespread in older age groups. This is particularly true for women. That drinking has become more common in older age is no surprise. Better health, higher income, increasing years in retirement, growing life expectancy and cohortspecific shifts in attitudes towards drinking all have tended to contribute to increased alcohol consumption. In fact, in many countries, alcohol consumption has become an integral part of social life among people in retirement age. The combination of alcohol consumption and old age is a special one (see for example, Meier & Seitz, 2008). While a glass or two may make everyday life more festive, alcohol at the same time may have unexpected consequences particularly among older people. Old age in combination with alcohol use is accompanied by several risk factors such as a weakened sense of balance, decreased body water content, changes in metabolism, increased and more regular use of prescription medicines, declining mobility and functionality, as well as living alone. Taken together, this implies an elevated risk profile for older persons, which may be regarded as the reason for which

中文翻译：

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老年人饮酒模式专题介绍

以下五篇文章描述了丹麦（Jensen 等，2020）、芬兰（Tigerstedt、Härkönen 等，2020）、挪威（Bye & Moan，2020）近几十年来老年人饮酒模式的现状和趋势和瑞典（Raninen 和 Agahi，2020 年）。自 1980 年代以来，这些国家和许多其他国家的酒精消费在老年人群中变得更加普遍。对于女性来说尤其如此。饮酒在老年人中变得更加普遍也就不足为奇了。更好的健康状况、更高的收入、退休年数的增加、预期寿命的延长以及特定人群对饮酒态度的转变都有助于增加酒精消费。事实上，在许多国家，饮酒已成为退休年龄人群社交生活中不可或缺的一部分。饮酒和老年的结合是一种特殊的情况（例如，参见 Meier & Seitz，2008 年）。虽然一两杯可能会使日常生活更加喜庆，但同时饮酒可能会产生意想不到的后果，尤其是在老年人中。老年和饮酒伴随着一些风险因素，例如平衡感减弱、体内水分含量减少、新陈代谢发生变化、处方药的使用增加和更经常使用、行动能力和功能下降以及独居。综上所述，这意味着老年人的风险状况升高，这可能被视为导致 同时饮酒可能会产生意想不到的后果，尤其是在老年人中。老年和饮酒伴随着一些风险因素，例如平衡感减弱、体内水分含量减少、新陈代谢发生变化、处方药的使用增加和更经常使用、行动能力和功能下降以及独居。综合起来，这意味着老年人的风险状况升高，这可能被认为是导致 同时饮酒可能会产生意想不到的后果，尤其是在老年人中。老年和饮酒伴随着一些风险因素，例如平衡感减弱、体内水分含量减少、新陈代谢发生变化、处方药的使用增加和更经常使用、行动能力和功能下降以及独居。综合起来，这意味着老年人的风险状况升高，这可能被认为是导致