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Alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among Korean older adults: does gender matter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2013

Jiyoung Lyu  and
Seungah Hannah Lee
Jiyoung Lyu*
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Seungah Hannah Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Jiyoung Lyu, MS, Department of Gerontology, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125, USA. Phone: +617-913-6768; Fax: +617-287-7080. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among older adults in South Korea.

Methods:

Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 2,471 females and 1,657 males were analyzed separately. Cognitive impairment was measured based on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Exam score. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among Korean older adults.

Results:

Multivariate analysis showed that compared to moderate drinkers, past drinkers were more likely to be cognitively impaired for women, while heavy drinkers were more likely to be cognitively impaired for men.

Conclusions:

Findings suggest that the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition varies with gender. Clinicians and service providers should consider gender differences when developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related cognitive decline among older adults.

Keywords

alcohol consumptioncognitionolder adultsKoreangender difference
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , February 2014 , pp. 335 - 340
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013 

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