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Utah Value:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
Utah Rank:
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Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
<= 6.3%
6.4% - 7.0%
7.1% - 8.0%
8.1% - 8.9%
>= 9.0%
US Value: 7.7%
Top State(s): Utah: 3.4%
Bottom State(s): Hawaii: 11.0%
Definition: Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Adults age 65 and older have a higher alcohol-attributed death rate than adults ages 25-44 due to increased alcohol sensitivity, increased health problems and poor interactions with medications.
Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with many negative health outcomes, including:
Alcohol tolerance tends to decrease with age, which can make older adults more sensitive to its effects. Furthermore, most older adults take one or more prescription medications, many of which interact negatively with alcohol, increasing their risk of a harmful interaction. More than 87% of people age 65 and older have used at least one prescription drug within the last 30 days, and nearly 40% have used five or more. A 2015 study found that 20% of older adults reported consuming at least one alcoholic drink a week while taking medication with a documented alcohol interaction.
Excessive drinking is a problem that affects people of all ages and was responsible for more than 175,000 deaths annually during 2020-2021. Excessive alcohol use cost the U.S. $249 billion in 2010.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of excessive drinking is higher among:
Alcohol misuse among older adults is often underreported, under-detected and misdiagnosed. Treatment options for older adults who misuse alcohol include support groups, rehabilitation facilities and therapy.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends clinicians screen adults for unhealthy alcohol use and provide behavioral counseling interventions when appropriate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a free online alcohol screening tool to anonymously check one’s drinking, identify barriers to and motivators for drinking less and make a personalized change plan.
Some evidence-based strategies to reduce excessive drinking and lower the associated health and social costs include:
Healthy People 2030 has multiple alcohol-related goals, including:
Curtin, Sally C., and Merianne Rose Spencer. “QuickStats: Rate of Alcohol-Induced Deaths Among Persons Aged ≥25 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, 1999–2017.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 68, no. 33 (August 23, 2019): 734. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6833a5.
“Health, United States, 2018.” Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus18.pdf.
Worcester, Sharon. “Study Shines Light on ‘Invisible Epidemic’ of Alcohol Use.” Caring for the Ages 17, no. 7 (July 1, 2016): 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carage.2016.06.007.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.