title: Drug & alcohol intervention for older women: a pilot study.
abstract: Pretest and posttest information was gathered from 26 older women attending educational programs related to alcohol and drug use. The goals of the study were to determine current knowledge about alcohol and drugs among older women and to gather some initial information about the potential for alcohol and drug interactions and misuse. The intervention included a 60-minute presentation on the metabolism of alcohol and drugs in the aging body, the potential for alcohol-drug interactions, and a discussion of healthy lifestyles (e.g., diet, exercise). Older women, especially those who were moderate to heavy drinkers, were found to have many misconceptions about alcohol and drug use, but their knowledge improved dramatically after the brief educational intervention. This finding may suggest that most of the women had knowledge deficits rather than deeply entrenched attitudes about alcohol and drug use or alcohol dependence. Therefore, simple educational interventions may be very effective with this subset of women.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eliason
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Skinstad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012494:Sampling Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016387:Women's Health