Kontakt 2006, 8(2):347-354 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2006.055

Smoking and alcohol in occupiers of old people's homes in 1989 and 2000Biomedicine

Ivan Bartošovič^1,*, Alena Tašká², Dušana Bartošovičová³

¹ Neštátna ambulancia praktického lekára pre dospelých a geriatrická ambulancia NsP, Skalica (riaditeľ Ing. Ivan Medlen)

² Neštátna ambulancia prenosných chorôb, Holíč

³ Neštátna pediatrická ambulancia, Skalica

The target: to consider smoking and alcohol consumption and their development in an 11-year period in occupiers of old people's homes.

Method: by controlled interviews (questionnaires), we examined two groups of occupiers of old people's homes; in 1989 all the 48 occupiers of one home (average age of 69.3 years); in 2000, 59 randomly selected occupiers of four homes of average age of 71.2 years. There were three possibilities of answering the question about smoking: smoker, always non-smoker and former smoker. The answer to the question concerning drinking alcohol was yes, not at all or occasionally (from time to time). The two groups were compared with respect to the gender and age categories. The statistical processing was carried out by the squared chi test in contingency tables and test for comparing data in percent.

Results: in 1989, 12.5% of occupiers were smokers and after 11 years, their number was increased by a factor exceeding 2 (to 27.1%). In 2000, there was also a decrease in the number of seniors, who stopped smoking or who were always non-smokers. The increase in the number of smokers was observed in all groups. The statistical significance (p < 0.001) was found in the age group of 75 years against seniors of 74 years and under. In 2000, the number of occupiers admitting drinking alcohol (10.2%) was lower than that in 1989 (14.6%) and the number of people who unambiguously refused alcohol was also reduced (from 60.4% to 50.8%), but in 2000, the number of seniors drinking occasionally alcohol was increased (from 25% to 39%). In assessment of drinking alcohol with respect to the age and gender, we observed a reduced consumption of alcohol in both age groups and in men. The fact is, however, of interest that "occasional" drinking of alcohol was increased in all the fourth groups compared.
The scope: The authors are dealing with the prevalence and importance of the two most frequent dependences in seniors living in institutional homes.

Keywords: old people's home; institution; smoking; alcohol; seniors

Published: December 15, 2006  Show citation