Prevalence of Smoking and Drinking Among Older Adults in Seven Urban Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean |
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| Authors: | Sunny Kim Mario De La Rosa Christopher P. Rice Jorge Delva |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;2. Center for Research on U.S. Latinos HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;3. Center for Research on U.S. Latinos HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;4. School of Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;5. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA |
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| Abstract: | In 2000, a representative sample of the elderly population (60 years or older) was selected from seven urban cities in Latin America and the Caribbean: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Mexico City (Mexico), Santiago (Chile), Havana (Cuba), Montevideo (Uruguay), Bridgetown (Barbados), and Sao Paulo (Brazil). A face-to-face interview was uniformly administered in the respective official languages. A total of 10,577 older adults were included in this study. The elderly in Havana had the highest prevalence of smoking (46.5% of men and 21.5% women). The highest prevalence of daily drinking was in Buenos Aires (19%). In contrast, only 1.5% of respondents in Mexico City and 2.3% of respondents in Havana consumed alcohol daily. Smoking and daily drinking were highly prevalent among older adults. As the older adult population grows steeply, the health behavior of this population starts carrying important implications for health care systems. |
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| Keywords: | smoking alcohol elderly Latin America Caribbean health behaviors life expectancy risk behavior |
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