Alcohol research typically focuses on youth and men because of the high risk of alcohol abuse among these groups. However, despite lower rates of alcohol use, it is important to examine women’s drinking patterns as they move through mid and later life. This is because the effects of alcohol may be more harmful to women as they age, and also, because women’s alcohol use may be more prevalent, diverse, and less stable than previously believed. This study proposes to examine alcohol use among 10,242 women, using three decades of data (1967-1999) from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Mature and Younger Women (NLS). The NLS provides a unique look at women’s alcohol use. First, the longitudinal design permits the study of alcohol trajectories or drinking patterns over time. Trajectories allow a comparison of women who increase their drinking over time to those who’s drinking decreases, fluctuates, or remains stable. Second, the NLS contains data on factors that may shape the drinking trajectories of women, including marriage, divorce, employment, and early life factors. Finally, the NLS was designed to be nationally representative, allowing for generalizability of findings to U.S. women in these age cohorts. An understanding of drinking trajectories and the factors that influence them will aid in the development of interventions and policies that may ameliorate problems associated with alcohol use for women in later life.
For more information please contact: Gilbert Gee.