The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41253

Elizabeth J. Collier, ThD, Jean-Francois Riand, MA, and Sandra L Putnam, PhD. Community Health Research Group, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Suite 309, Conference Center Bldg, Knoxville, TN 37996-4133, 865-974-4511, collierb@utk.edu

High religiosity, defined in terms of belief and practice, has been found to be protective against current alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) use among Tennessee high school students. It decreased the likelihood of students' 30-day ATOD use by 71%. This study asks (1) whether certain religious denominations reported by students are associated with lower 30-day alcohol use prevalence than other denominations, and (2) whether such differences are maintained when other differences are controlled, including students' age, sex, race, rurality, poverty, alcohol consumption and prevalence of alcohol-related problems, parental guidance and parental/familial ATOD use. Data are from a cross-sectional survey of approximately 58,000 high school students in 108 randomly selected Tennessee public and private schools in 12 Tennessee health department regions in 1995. Preliminary descriptive results suggest that students most likely to report alcohol use were Buddhist (61%), Roman Catholic, Unitarian and Lutheran (53% each), and Jewish (52%), in contrast to students reporting very low alcohol use – Other Protestants (28%), Mormons (30%), and Seventh-Day Adventists (37%). Other denominations were close to the mean (45%). Logistic regression techniques are used to predict 30-day alcohol use. Authors will discuss results, including the possible role of explicit denominational policies banning alcohol use in religious rituals or at religious functions, various theological positions on alcohol use, and related sanctioned practices as they may impact youth alcohol use.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe the relationship of religious denomination, religiosity, quantity, and frequency of alcohol consumption and related problems, as well as sociodemographic factors, with 30-day alcohol use among high school students
• Identify key predictors of alcohol use related to religious denomination, controlling for other important variables
• Assess the applicability of findings to issues of institutional religious policy and practice related to alcohol use among both youth and adults in Tennessee

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.