Effectiveness of Nurse-led Brief Intervention to Reduce the Risky Use of Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Older Adults: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial from India

Overview

Journal Indian J Psychol Med

Publisher Sage Publications

Date 2025 Jan 31

PMID 39886554

Authors

Neeraj Mahendia

Jaison Joseph

Sidharth Arya

Rajeshwari Devi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: India has witnessed a gradual increase in substance use among the elderly, driven by the country's aging population and evolving demographic trends. There remains a lack of scientific foundation regarding the efficacy of brief intervention among older adults in the context of low- and middle-income countries. The current study explored the effectiveness of nurse-led brief intervention to reduce risky substance use patterns among the elderly in the Indian context.

Methods: The present study is a pilot randomized trial with assessments conducted before and after the intervention at 4-week intervals. The Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was used to detect changes in risky substance use, and the intervention was based on the ASSIST Brief Intervention Protocol. The study setting was a government-funded elderly citizen club, which was conveniently selected.

Results: Out of the 80 contacted participants, 60 subjects were enrolled, evenly divided between intervention and control groups. The mean age of the sample was 69.80 years (SD = 4.2). Although there was some difference in post-follow-up scores, we did not observe a significant benefit for the brief intervention in reducing risky substance use among the elderly in this setting ( > .05).

Conclusion: The study demonstrated a reduction in risky substance use patterns among the elderly population in both the intervention and control groups. Future trials should adopt rigorous methodological approaches to provide robust clinical evidence for implementing similar interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being of elderly individuals in this setting.

References

Moos R, Schutte K, Brennan P, Moos B . Late-life and life history predictors of older adults' high-risk alcohol consumption and drinking problems. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009; 108(1-2):13-20. PMC: 2835829. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.11.005. View

DiClemente C, Corno C, Graydon M, Wiprovnick A, Knoblach D . Motivational interviewing, enhancement, and brief interventions over the last decade: A review of reviews of efficacy and effectiveness. Psychol Addict Behav. 2017; 31(8):862-887. DOI: 10.1037/adb0000318. View

Chaturvedi H, Bajpai R, Tiwari P . Association of religion and cultural tradition with alcohol use among some tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh, India. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2017; 18(2):296-308. DOI: 10.1080/15332640.2017.1355766. View

Rodgers C . Brief interventions for alcohol and other drug use. Aust Prescr. 2018; 41(4):117-121. PMC: 6091783. DOI: 10.18773/austprescr.2018.031. View

Swami S, Srivastava T . Role of Culture, Values, and Politics in the Implementation of Health Technology Assessment in India: A Commentary. Value Health. 2020; 23(1):39-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2019.10.002. View

Gordon A, Conigliaro J, Maisto S, McNeil M, Kraemer K, Kelley M . Comparison of consumption effects of brief interventions for hazardous drinking elderly. Subst Use Misuse. 2003; 38(8):1017-35. DOI: 10.1081/ja-120017649. View

Kaner E, Dickinson H, Beyer F, Pienaar E, Schlesinger C, Campbell F . The effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care settings: a systematic review. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2009; 28(3):301-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2009.00071.x. View

ODonnell A, Wallace P, Kaner E . From efficacy to effectiveness and beyond: what next for brief interventions in primary care?. Front Psychiatry. 2014; 5:113. PMC: 4147417. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00113. View

Greene M, Kane J, Alto M, Giusto A, Lovero K, Stockton M . Psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions to reduce harmful alcohol use in low- and middle-income countries. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023; 5:CD013350. PMC: 10167787. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013350.pub2. View

10.

Kuerbis A, Sacco P, Blazer D, Moore A . Substance abuse among older adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014; 30(3):629-54. PMC: 4146436. DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2014.04.008. View

11.

Han B, Moore A . Prevention and Screening of Unhealthy Substance Use by Older Adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2017; 34(1):117-129. PMC: 5718360. DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.08.005. View

12.

Babor T, McRee B, Kassebaum P, Grimaldi P, Ahmed K, Bray J . Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): toward a public health approach to the management of substance abuse. Subst Abus. 2007; 28(3):7-30. DOI: 10.1300/J465v28n03_03. View

13.

Fox J, Wason K, Beers D, Faulds M, Lincoln N, Tomanovich M . The Creation of an Addiction Nursing Fellowship Program for Registered Nurses: A Unique Approach to Enhancing the Addiction-Treatment Workforce. Subst Abus. 2023; 44(1):24-31. DOI: 10.1177/08897077231169566. View

14.

Weber A, Lynch A, Miskle B, Arndt S, Acion L . Older Adult Substance Use Treatment First-Time Admissions Between 2008 and 2018. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2022; 30(10):1055-1063. DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2022.03.003. View

15.

Chaudhry D, Khandelwal S, Bahadur C, Daniels B, Bhattacharyya M, Gangakhedkar R . Prevalence of long COVID symptoms in Haryana, India: a cross-sectional follow-up study. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia. 2024; 25:100395. PMC: 10998228. DOI: 10.1016/j.lansea.2024.100395. View

16.

Chhatre S, Cook R, Mallik E, Jayadevappa R . Trends in substance use admissions among older adults. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017; 17(1):584. PMC: 5568321. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-017-2538-z. View

17.

Sadath A, Jose K, Jiji K, Mercy V, Ragesh G, Arensman E . Prevalence and Determinants of Substance Use Among Indigenous Tribes in South India: Findings from a Tribal Household Survey. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021; 9(1):356-366. DOI: 10.1007/s40615-021-00964-2. View

18.

Platt L, Melendez-Torres G, ODonnell A, Bradley J, Newbury-Birch D, Kaner E . How effective are brief interventions in reducing alcohol consumption: do the setting, practitioner group and content matter? Findings from a systematic review and metaregression analysis. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(8):e011473. PMC: 4985973. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011473. View

19.

Lin J, Arnovitz M, Kotbi N, Francois D . Substance Use Disorders in the Geriatric Population: a Review and Synthesis of the Literature of a Growing Problem in a Growing Population. Curr Treat Options Psychiatry. 2023; :1-20. PMC: 10241125. DOI: 10.1007/s40501-023-00291-9. View

20.

Yarnell S, Li L, MacGrory B, Trevisan L, Kirwin P . Substance Use Disorders in Later Life: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature of an Emerging Public Health Concern. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019; 28(2):226-236. DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.06.005. View