Difference in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders between blacks and whites: A meta-analysis

Introduction. Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are a pervasive problem in the United States, affecting about 8% of the population. Blacks have been shown to be at greater risk for alcohol related problems compared to whites. To investigate whether blacks are at greater risk for AUD, a meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between race and AUDs was conducted. Methods. Citations from peer-reviewed publications were collected from literature databases using documented search terms. Studies were then imported into EndNote and irrelevant studies were eliminated. Full text articles of remaining citations were located, and the references reviewed. Data were extracted from relevant studies and entered into study- and effect-level databases. Only data on AUD prevalence for whites and blacks in the US were used. The odds ratio (OR) of AUD prevalence in blacks was calculated in comparison to whites for each study. The weighted mean effect size was determined. Results. Following the search, 1152 citations were collected and 57 studies were deemed relevant and their full texts were located. After full text review, the data from 11 studies were extracted and used to calculate the mean effect size. Blacks were found to have 52% lower prevalence of AUD than their white counterparts (OR 0.48, 95 % confidence interval 0.43-0.52). Discussion. Based upon published literature, the meta-analysis shows that blacks have a lower reported prevalence of AUDs than whites. The heightened incidence of alcohol related health problems observed in blacks does not seem to be caused by increased AUDs.