Good practices for the prevention of alcohol harmful use amongst the elderly in Europe, the VINTAGE project

Abstract

Introduction: There is a lack of information about initiatives aimed at preventing the harm-ful effects of alcohol amongst the elderly. Objectives: One of the objectives of the VINTAGE study was to collect the initiatives carried out in Europe and review the published grey literature about this topic. Methods: Email-based survey addressed to researchers, professionals and policymakers, and internet search of grey literature. Results: Three hundred nine contacts were finally made, and 21 of the 36 collected initiatives were considered as useful in preventing the harmful use of alco-hol amongst the elderly. Out of the about 2900 references identified 96 were classified as relevant. Conclusions: Despite a growing interest, alcohol use in the elderly is not yet perceived as a major issue for prevention.