Abstract

Background

Alcohol misuse among older adults is an emerging public health issue. Older veterans are particularly at risk of developing substance use dependency due to the enduring impacts of military service. The purpose of this study was to test the theory of intersectionality on alcohol misuse by veteran status and age, veteran status and sex, and veteran status and race.

Methods

Combined data from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Brief Risk Factor Resilience Survey (BRFSS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used in this cross-sectional study. The BRFSS is conducted annually with adults via landline or cellular telephones in all 50 states in the United States, as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Alcohol misuse among individuals aged 65+ was examined by veteran status and the interaction between age, race, and sex using survey-weighted logistic regression models.

Results

Results show no interaction between veteran status and age or sex. For the interaction between veteran status and race, significant disparities were found. Black/Other race veterans were significantly more likely to engage in binge drinking and heavy drinking compared to nonveterans of the same race, White veterans, and White nonveterans.

Conclusion

Older veterans who are also Black, Indigenous and/or people of color (BIPOC) are at great risk of engaging in alcohol misuse due to the combined stressors from their intersectional identities. Interventions targeting this population should consider the historical, cultural, and systemic factors that contribute to a disproportionally higher rate of binge drinking and heavy drinking among BIPOC veterans.

中文翻译：

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老年退伍军人的酒精滥用：交叉性理论视角

摘要

背景

老年人滥用酒精是一个新兴的公共卫生问题。由于服兵役的持久影响，年长的退伍军人特别容易患上药物依赖症。本研究的目的是通过退伍军人身份和年龄、退伍军人身份和性别以及退伍军人身份和种族来测试酒精滥用的交叉性理论。

方法

本横断面研究使用了美国疾病控制与预防中心 (CDC) 2016、2017 和 2018 年简要风险因素复原力调查 (BRFSS) 的综合数据。BRFSS 每年在美国所有 50 个州以及哥伦比亚特区、波多黎各和关岛通过座机或移动电话与成年人一起进行。使用调查加权逻辑回归模型通过退伍军人身份和年龄、种族和性别之间的相互作用来检查 65 岁以上人群的酒精滥用情况。

结果

结果显示退伍军人身份与年龄或性别之间没有相互作用。对于退伍军人身份和种族之间的相互作用，发现了显着差异。与同一种族的非退伍军人、白人退伍军人和非退伍军人白人相比，黑人/其他种族退伍军人明显更有可能酗酒和酗酒。

结论

身为黑人、原住民和/或有色人种 (BIPOC) 的老年退伍军人由于来自交叉身份的综合压力源而面临滥用酒精的巨大风险。针对这一人群的干预措施应考虑历史、文化和系统因素，这些因素导致 BIPOC 退伍军人的酗酒和重度饮酒比例过高。