Baby Boomers’ riskier drinking behaviour a focus of Beyond 50 Study
The rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations of Baby Boomers in Victoria - those aged over 65 years - has tripled in the past decade! This large cohort is showing riskier drinking patterns than previous and younger generations. Why?
An NCHA-supported project, Beyond 50: Health and social outcomes in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, has recruited 1000 people aged between 50 and 70 living in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula area to understand how health and social factors influence healthy ageing over time.
Collaborating closely with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, the project team led by Professor Suzanne Nielsen, has identified two specific issues for this local government area– there is a higher proportion of older residents in the area with decreasing social contact and also residents with an increased lifetime risk from alcohol consumption.
Image: Dr Tina Lam, Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre and National Centre of Healthy Ageing,and Kathleen van der Weerden, Social Planning Officer, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, presenting at NCHA’s Showcase 2024.
Early interviews with the study participants are identifying social isolation, loneliness, mental and physical health challenges, and concerns about retirement, may contribute to the risk some people experience.
Dr Tina Lam, a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre, and National Centre of Healthy Ageing, says the Beyond 50 study is identifying factors influencing risk behaviours but also aims to develop more effective prevention strategies to support healthier ageing.
Dr Tina Lam, Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre
The project is a collaboration between Monash University, the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Burnet, Turning Point, Edith Cowan University and Peninsula Health.
Find out more about the research underway at the NCHA’s Living Labs.