Perceived Racism and Binge Drinking among Latino Immigrant Men

Latino immigrants struggle with stressors related to language barriers, immigration policies and racial/ethnic discrimination. Studies have found that coping with such stressors can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use. However, few studies have documented perceived racism and its impact on substance use in Latino communities. The study was a secondary data analysis of baseline data collected from 260 Latino immigrant men who participated in the Men as Navigators for Health and HoMBReS lay health advisor intervention study in rural central North Carolina. Surveys included measures of substance use, perceived racism, and demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the prevalence of binge drinking and perceived racism in the study sample. Logistic regression models were estimated to assess the relationship between perceived racism and binge drinking (drinking 5 or more drinks on one occasion) in the past 30 days. Over 40% of the men reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. The most common types of perceived discrimination reported by the men were due to language (57%), legal status (50%), and race or ethnicity (33%). Many also reported experiencing emotional (38%) and physical (26%) symptoms as a result of how they were treated at least once a month. After adjustment, ethnic (OR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.65), language (OR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.70, 5.20) and legal status (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.17, 3.70) discrimination were all associated with increased odds of binge drinking in the past month.