Are older people healthy? Alcohol and tobacco use in old age

The consumption of alcohol and tobacco in Spain, as in other countries, is very social. The "public" consideration of substance consumption has a great influence on the way it is consumed. In our country, and according to data from the ENS 2017, one third of the population over 15 years old drinks at least once a week, another third does not drink (either because they have never drunk or because they have not drunk in the last year) and almost another third drinks alcohol only occasionally (less than once a week). These data do not necessarily indicate that we are an alcoholic society, but rather that we have incorporated alcohol consumption into our daily patterns. I say that we are not an alcoholic society and that we have a less harmful relationship with alcohol than others, but that drinking water is healthier, I say that too.

Graph 1: Answer to the question, do you currently smoke? People over 65, Spain, 2017.

Source: own preparation on the basis of ENS 2017 data.

At least in these two aspects, and although there is a lot of room for improvement, older people have better habits than the rest of the population. Is the same true for other indicators? Do they eat healthier than other age groups? Are older people sedentary? We leave this pending for another post.