Sex ratios of drinking patterns and problems among blacks and whites: results from a national survey

The purpose of this study is to explore whether there are differences in sex ratios of drinking patterns and related problems among blacks and whites, and if so to explain these differences.

The study is based on a national survey including 1,947 (male, 723; female, 1,224) black and 1,777 (male, 743; female, 1,034) white men and women who were sampled from U.S. adult households using probability methods. Hierarchical regression methods were used to test whether there are significant racial differences in the sex ratio of drinking patterns and problems in the two racial groups.

The findings showed that there were no substantive differences in drinking sex ratios along racial lines. However, white women were at the highest risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems as rates of heavier drinking increased, and the effects of heavier drinking differed much more among the sexes for whites than blacks.

The findings for whites are consistent with previous research showing that, due to both biological and psychosocial factors, women when consuming the same amounts of alcohol as men may be at more risk for experiencing intoxication and alcohol-related problems. However, the findings for blacks, which show less problem vulnerability among women than men, have rarely been reported. It was suggested that the comparative risk of alcohol problems may be lower for black women due to possible physiological differences and differences in the normative climate of women's drinking in the two racial groups.