Alcohol-related problems among black, Hispanic and white men: the contribution of neighborhood poverty
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R Jones-Webb1, L Snowden, D Herd
1Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, USA.
Objective:
We examined the cross-sectional relationships between race/ethnicity, neighborhood poverty and alcohol-related problems among black, Hispanic and white male drinkers. Test hypotheses were that black and Hispanic men living in more impoverished neighborhoods would report increased numbers of alcohol-related problems than comparable white men.
Method:
Study hypotheses were tested in a sample of 744 black, Hispanic and white men participating in the 1992 National Alcohol Follow-up Survey. Study hypotheses were analyzed using generalized linear model regression analysis.
Results:
Neighborhood poverty had a greater effect on alcohol-related problems in black than in white men, partially supporting our hypothesis. Black men living in more impoverished neighborhoods reported greater numbers of alcohol-related problems than comparable white men; there were no race differences among more affluent men. Neighborhood poverty had little effect on alcohol-related problems in Hispanic men.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that, giving unfavorable economic conditions, black men will report greater numbers of alcohol-related problems than comparable white men.