Predictors of Heavy Episodic Drinking and Weekly Drunkenness Among Immigrant Latinos in North Carolina

Abstract

Few studies have examined correlates of heavy drinking among rural immigrant Latino men. This analysis identified correlates of typical week drunkenness and past 30-day heavy episodic drinking, within a sample of immigrant Latino men in rural North Carolina (n = 258). In the bivariate analyses, Mexican birth, entering the United States as an adult, and year-round employment were associated with increased odds of typical week drunkenness, and higher acculturation and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol were associated with lower odds of typical week drunkenness. Being older, Mexican birth, and entering the United States as an adult were associated with increased odds of heavy episodic drinking, and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol was associated with decreased odds of heavy episodic drinking. In multivariable modeling, only religious affiliation was associated with typical week drunkenness. Mexican birth, entering the United States as an adult and were associated with increased odds of heavy episodic drinking, and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol and completing high school was associated with lower odds of heavy episodic drinking. The health of minority men in the United States has been neglected, and immigrant Latino men comprise a particularly vulnerable population. This analysis provides initial data on some factors associated with heavy drinking within a population about whom little is known. Future studies should examine moderating or mediating factors between age, acculturation, religiosity, and heavy drinking that might be targets for behavioral interventions.

The Hispanic Paradox in Cardiovascular Disease and Total Mortality

“…25 Acculturation evidence is contradictory, with some studies showing association with heavier drinking and other data demonstrating no influence on drinking. 26 Acculturation-related stress drinking portrays a significant variance when adjusted for income and education and it has become a target for preventive intervention strategies. 27 Because moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with lower rates of CVD and with longer survival, the lower drinking rates among Hispanics could not explain the paradox, and if anything, would reinforce it.…”

Development and Preliminary Testing of a Promotora - Delivered, Spanish Language, Counseling Intervention for Heavy Drinking among Male, Latino Day Laborers

“…Compared to whites, Latinos are more likely to have low education levels, live in poverty, and be uninsured (Caetano & Clark, 2000; Mulia, Ye, Zemore, & Greenfield, 2008). Latino men often engage in a pattern of low frequency but high levels of drinking per occasion (Alvarez & Ruiz, 2001; Ornelas, Eng, & Perreira, 2011; Kissinger et al, 2013; Daneil-Ulloa et al, 2014). …”

Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Dependence Among Male Latino Migrant Farmworkers Compared to Latino Nonfarmworkers in North Carolina

“…At the same time, little research documents actual alcohol consumption or dependence among migrant and seasonal farmworkers (Grzywacz et al, 2007; Sánchez, 2015), and almost no research has compared alcohol consumption or dependence of farmworkers with other Latino immigrants not engaged in farm work (Daniel-Ulloa et al, 2014). Current (2011) Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) results indicate that Hispanics are similar to non-Hispanic whites in heavy episodic drinking (HED) (four or more alcoholic drinks for women, five or more alcoholic drinks for men); 21.1% of non-Hispanic whites report HED in the previous month, with an average of 4.1 episodes at which they consumed an average of 6.8 drinks, and 17.7% of Hispanics report HED, with an average of 3.3 episodes at which they consumed 6.8 drinks (Kanny et al, 2013).…”

“…Among Latino men living in rural North Carolina communities, 54% reported HED in the previous month, with 78% of those who reported drinking the past 12 months reporting HED (Daniel-Ulloa et al, 2014). About one-quarter of North Carolina Latino farmworkers did not consume alcohol, but about 40% of all participants and over half of participants who drank reported HED, and about a third of all North Carolina farmworkers and over half of those who drank met the criteria for being at risk for alcohol dependence or abuse (Grzywacz et al, 2007).…”