title: Primary care-based intervention to reduce at-risk drinking in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether a multi-faceted intervention among older at-risk drinking primary care patients reduced at-risk drinking and alcohol consumption at 3 and 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three primary care sites in southern California.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and thirty-one adults aged ≥ 55 years who were at-risk drinkers identified by the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool (CARET) were assigned randomly between October 2004 and April 2007 during an office visit to receive a booklet on healthy behaviors or an intervention including a personalized report, booklet on alcohol and aging, drinking diary, advice from the primary care provider and telephone counseling from a health educator at 2, 4 and 8 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was the proportion of participants meeting at-risk criteria, and secondary outcomes were number of drinks in past 7 days, heavy drinking (four or more drinks in a day) in the past 7 days and risk score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 3 months, relative to controls, fewer intervention group participants were at-risk drinkers [odds ratio (OR) 0.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.75]; they reported drinking fewer drinks in the past 7 days [rate ratio (RR) 0.79; 95% CI 0.70-0.90], less heavy drinking (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.22-0.99) and had lower risk scores (RR 0.77 95% CI 0.63-0.94). At 12 months, only the difference in number of drinks remained statistically significant (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-0.99).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multi-faceted intervention among older at-risk drinkers in primary care does not reduce the proportions of at-risk or heavy drinkers, but does reduce amount of drinking at 12 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. aamoore@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Alison A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Fred C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Blow
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoffing
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Welgreen
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Karina D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Diana H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Lingqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Oriana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kristen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Barry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome