Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS): Effects of Container Size Adjustments on Estimates of Alcohol Consumption Across Hispanic National Groups

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: This study was conducted to examine discrepancies in alcohol consumption estimates between a self-reported standard quantity-frequency measure and an adjusted version based on respondents' typically used container size. Method: Using a multistage cluster sample design, 5,224 Hispanic individuals 18 years of age and older were selected from the household population in fi ve metropolitan areas of the United States: Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Houston, and Los Angeles. The survey-weighted response rate was 76%. Personal interviews lasting an average of 1 hour were conducted in respondents' homes in either English or Spanish. Results: The overall effect of container adjustment was to increase estimates of ethanol consumption by 68% for women (range across Hispanic groups: 17%-99%) and 30% for men (range: 14%-42%). With the exception of female Cuban American, Mexican American, and South/Central American beer drinkers and male Cuban American wine drinkers, all percentage differences between unadjusted and container-adjusted estimates were positive. Second, container adjustments produced the largest change for volume of distilled spirits, followed by wine and beer. Container size adjustments generally produced larger percentage increases in consumption estimates for the higher volume drinkers, especially the upper tertile of female drinkers. Conclusions: Self-reported alcohol consumption based on standard drinks underreports consumption when compared with reports based on the amount of alcohol poured into commonly used containers. (J. Stud.

A systematic review of the free-pour assessment: Implications for research, assessment and intervention.

“…Table 1 lists the characteristics and results from 20 typical consumption free-pour assessments. The typical consumption free-pour assessment has been conducted to assess the amount of alcohol individuals typically pour themselves in a variety of settings, including their homes (e.g., Caetano, Mills, & Harris, 2012; Lemmens, 1994), over the phone (e.g., Callinan, 2015), public locations (e.g., Boniface et al, 2013; Gill & Donaghy, 2004), health clinics (e.g., Kaskutas, 2000), and laboratories (e.g., Gill, Donaghy, Guise, & Warner, 2006). Although most typical consumption free-pour studies have focused on physical free-pours, typical consumption drink sizes have also been obtained by asking individuals to select photos of drinking glasses with lines most representative of their typical pour volumes.…”

“…Several studies have also assessed typical drink sizes across gender, with varying findings. For example, Caetano et al (2012) found women tended to pour larger portions of beer, wine, and liquor. In contrast, Carruthers and Binns (1992) found pours varied by type of drink, with men pouring larger portions of beer and liquor than did women.…”

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Alcohol-Related Problems: Differences by Gender and Level of Heavy Drinking

“…Yet a pronounced disparity remained at low levels of heavy drinking. Importantly, information on drink alcohol content is only just beginning to be integrated into research on racial/ethnic group drinking (e.g., see Caetano et al, 2012). Kerr et al (2009) previously found that models predicting alcohol problems had improved fit if they adjusted for measured drink ethanol, particularly models predicting alcohol consequences among blacks and dependence among Hispanics.…”

Shifting patterns of disparities in unintentional injury mortality rates in the United States, 1999-2016

“…Blacks have reported needing fewer drinks to feel intoxicated than whites, while Hispanics report more compared to whites [ 26 ]. Both blacks and Hispanics have reported higher-strength drinks than whites [ 27 , 28 ] and a larger number of drinks preceding perceived DUI [ 29 ].…”