Volume 30, Issue 3: June, 2003

Abstract

Health Care Utilization by Older Alcohol-Using Veterans:
Effects of a Brief Intervention to Reduce At-Risk Drinking

Laurel A. Copeland, PhD, Frederic C. Blow, PhD, and Kristen Lawton Barry, PhD

The objective of the study was to estimate the effect of a brief alcohol-reduction intervention on health care use. Male veterans aged 55 years and older drinking more than guideline limits participated in an effective primary care–based randomized clinical trial to reduce drinking. Repeated measures ANCOVA assessed short-term and long-term changes in both inpatient and outpatient utilization. Stage of change (SOC) was assessed in a subsample to test for interaction between SOC and the intervention. Veterans exposed to the intervention used more outpatient medical services in the short term. Long-term effects on inpatient/outpatient use were not observed. SOC did not moderate the effect of the intervention but was associated with differential use of health care services. A cost-effective brief intervention to reduce drinking may spur increased efforts to seek health care. Early detection and management of alcohol-related or other illnesses might be expected to accrue savings in later years.