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Workplace discrimination and alcohol consumption: findings from the San Francisco Muni Health and Safety Study
I H Yen1, D R Ragland, B A Greiner
1Behavioral Risk Factors Training Program and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 94720-7360, USA.
Objective:
There is evidence of an association between occupational stress and alcohol consumption. This study investigates the association between workplace racial discrimination and alcohol consumption in a sample of urban transit operators.
Methods:
During 1993-1995, after undergoing a medical exam, 1,542 transit operators completed an interview. Depending on the outcome, we used logistic or linear regression models to examine the cross-sectional relationship between discrimination experience and alcohol consumption.
Results:
Operators who reported discrimination in at least one situation, out of a possible four, were more likely to have had negative life consequences as a result of drinking (adjusted OR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.20-3.83) and were more likely to be classified as having an alcohol disorder (OR = 1.56 [0.96-2.54]), compared to those who reported no instances of workplace discrimination. Results adjusted simultaneously for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and seniority. There was no association between workplace discrimination and heavy drinking or drinks per month.
Conclusions:
Cross-sectional data from a sample of urban transit operators indicates an association between workplace racial discrimination and some measures of alcohol consumption.