Does a Crossover Age Effect Exist for African American and Hispanic Binge Drinkers? Findings from the 2010 to 2013 National Study on Drug Use and Health

Abstract

Background Among general population studies, lower rates of binge drinking tend to be found among African Americans and Hispanics compared to Whites. However, among older adult populations, minority groups have been shown to be at higher risk for binge drinking, suggesting the presence of a crossover effect from low to high risk as a function of age. Aims To date, limited research has examined the crossover effect among African American and Hispanic populations compared to non-Hispanic Whites across large developmental time frames or explored variation in risk based on income or gender. The current study aimed to fill these gaps in the literature. Methods Data were compiled from the 2010-2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health surveys, which provide annual, nationally representative data on substance use behaviors among individuals age 12 and older. Hispanic, non-Hispanic African American, and non-Hispanic White respondents were included (N = 205,198) in the analyses. Results A crossover effect was found for African American males and females among the lowest income level (i.e., incomes less than $20,000). Specifically, after controlling for education and marital status, compared to Whites, risk for binge drinking was lower for African American males at ages 18-24 and for females at ages 18-34, but higher for both African American males and females at ages 50 to 64. No crossover effect was found for Hispanic respondents. Conclusions Although African Americans are generally at lower risk for binge drinking, risk appears to increase disproportionately with age among those who are impoverished. Social determinants of health prevalent within low-income African American communities (e.g., lower education, violence exposure, housing insecurity) and potential areas for intervention programming are discussed.

Triple trajectories of alcohol use, tobacco use, and depressive symptoms as predictors of cannabis use disorders among urban adults.

“…Prevention efforts must occur prior to the development of CUDs. This is critical for our sample, since these populations have the age crossover effect; that is, African Americans and Hispanic Americans appear to have a lower rate of substance use, but they catch up to European Americans with increasing age, and may surpass them later in life (Caraballo, Sharapova, & Asman, 2016; Watt, 2008; Zapolski, Baldwin, Banks, & Stump, 2017). Therefore, paying attention to substance use among African American and Puerto Rican adolescents may play an important role for prevention of CUDs in adulthood, even though little usage of substances occurs during adolescence.…”

Hepatocellular carcinoma in the absence of cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

“…In addition, white people prefer to drink alcohol compared to Asians and Africans, and are more likely to be obese. 4,5 Furthermore, white people are more likely to have HCV and HBV co-infection, which can accelerate cirrhosis progression. [6][7][8] These phenomena may lead to a bias in the conclusion.…”

The Crossover Effect: a Review of Racial/Ethnic Variations in Risk for Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder Across Development

“…Taken with Vogt Yuan’s [6] differential findings between drug use and drug abuse , these data suggested that Blacks are more likely to experience problems from substance use in later adulthood despite consuming alcohol at similar frequencies to those of their White counterparts. However, recent research also suggests that the crossover in alcohol-and drug-related problems may be related to a crossover of heavy substance use during later adulthood by Blacks [19] (see “Emerging Focus on Heavy Drinking” section). Thus, research is needed that examines differences in potential crossover effects based on frequency and quantity of use, as well as problems from use across development.…”

“…For example, when stratifying by gender, the crossover for frequency of heavy drinking has been found for Hispanic men and Black women in the fourth decade [28, 29]. Conversely, a study stratifying by income found a crossover for likelihood of heavy drinking among only those Blacks earning less than $20,000 per year [19]. Finally, a study stratifying by generation (those born in 1962 versus those born in 1980) found a crossover for Blacks for heavy drinking among the older cohort by the early 30s, but only a convergence among the younger generation by that age [28].…”

“…Hispanics have been found to crossover the heavy drinking of Whites throughout the fourth decade of life [28, 29]. However, this research is nascent and has already been contradicted by others who have recently found no crossover for heavy drinking among Hispanics [19]. Mixed results may reflect a lack of data on nationality in national household surveys, as the prevalence of substance use [33] and SUD vary widely between subgroups of Hispanics [34].…”