Effects of age on perinatal substance abuse among whites and African Americans

This descriptive study assessed age effects on perinatal use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine among African-American and white women. Data were derived from the California Perinatal Exposure Study, relying on a statistical probability sample n = 29,494) of women who underwent anonymous urine toxicology screening in birthing hospitals. The central hypothesis was that there would be no difference in age effects on drug use among white and African-American women. Marital status and payment source were used as risk factors in order to create detailed age-risk profiles for both racial-ethnic groups. Logistic regression analyses were used and findings indicated that cocaine use peaked in early adulthood for whites and in mid-adulthood for African-Americans who had higher prevalence levels with the same or fewer risk factors as whites. Over one third of African-American women in their mid-thirties who were not married and who had publicly assisted births tested positive for cocaine. In contrast, high risk whites had higher marijuana prevalence levels than African-American women, and prevalence increased with age. Alcohol prevalence increased with age for African-American and white women who were publicly assisted, but decreased with age for all others. Findings for alcohol and marijuana generally followed the same risk-adjusted patterns for African American and white women but with different prevalence levels; however, cocaine use had a unique pattern with higher prevalence among African-American women in mid-adulthood regardless of risk level.