Patterns of Alcohol Use Among Ethnically Diverse Black and Hispanic Urban Youth

Adolescent alcohol use remains a pressing problem. Identifying which groups are at greater risk of alcohol use helps in understanding the etiology of drinking and the development of alcohol prevention programs. Little epidemiologic information regarding alcohol use among inner-city minority adolescents is available. This study examined the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and ethnic group, a black group consisting primarily of African-Americans and Caribbean/West Indians and a Hispanic group of predominantly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, among urban youth. Hispanic youth reported greater experience with alcohol than black youth. Dominican adolescents drank more frequently, drank more per drinking occasion, and planned to drink more in the future than Puerto Rican adolescents. Similarly, Caribbean/West Indian youth drank more frequently, became drunk more often, drank more per drinking occasion, and planned to drink more in the future relative to African-American youth. In general, gender did not moderate the relationship with alcohol. This study indicates that only considering ethnic group membership is not sufficient because there were important subgroup differences in patterns of alcohol use for both Hispanics and Blacks. Implications for prevention are discussed.