LAUSR

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and related risk factors ofproblem drinking in the Korean elderly population.Method/Statistical Analysis: Participants (n=817) aged 65 years or older were selected from the KoreaNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [KNHANES] of 2018. Sociodemographic characteristicsand AUDIT-C score were obtained from the KNHANES dataset. AUDIT-C scores were categorized into twogroups, including low risk, high-risk alcohol drinking according to WHO guidelines. Data analysis wasperformed using SPSS WIN 25.0 program.Findings: In this study, the prevalence of high-risk alcohol drinking was 31.9%, respectively. Adjustedmean AUDIT score was higher in men, younger elderly individuals, as well as those with lower educationlevels and those that smoked. Results revealed that demographic variables, including sex, age, educationlevel, and smoking, were important factors affected high-risk drinking. In particular, since family numberand smoking were the most significant risk factor, the odds ratio for high-risk drinking among participantsthat smoked was 2.49 [(95% confidence interval (CI)=1.31-4.71)].Improvements/Applications: This study suggests that men, younger age, low educational level, andsmoking are the risk factors for a high-risk alcohol drinking