Combined Effect of Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Marital Status on All-cause Mortality Among Middle- and Old-aged People: A Longitudinal Study From Korea

Abstract

Purposes

The association between alcohol consumption, health, and mortality is intricate, with marital status being a determinant of drinking behavior. This study investigated the combined effect of alcohol consumption patterns and marital status on mortality in middle-aged and older Korean individuals.

Methods

This prospective longitudinal study used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, conducted from 2006 to 2020. The study population comprised individuals who were consuming alcohol around the time of the basic survey and participated in the 1^st wave 2006 study. We divided 3,823 drinkers older than 45 into four groups: “normal drinker and married (NM),” “normal drinker and unmarried (NUM),” “excessive drinker and married (EM),” and “excessive drinker and unmarried (EUM).” A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed for survival analysis.

Results

The median survival time of the EUM group was 11.9 years. After adjusting for the covariates, the mortality risk among the NUM, EM, and EUM were approximately 1.67 times, 1.33 times, and 3.10 times higher than that among the NM, respectively.

Conclusion

Middle- and old-aged unmarried people with excessive drinking patterns constitute a high-risk group for mortality. Community healthcare providers should focus on characteristics that differ by age, considering family-related factors, and assessing alcohol consumption patterns to reduce mortality. Among middle- and old-aged people, support for unmarried and excessive drinkers should be strengthened, and consultation on visiting community-based clinics should be promoted to improve firmly established alcohol consumption patterns.