Border effects on alcohol use disorders on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border

Background: Little epidemiological evidence exists on alcohol use and related problems along the U.S.-Mexico border.  Data on the relationship of proximity of living at the border and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are analyzed from the U.S.-Mexico Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (UMSARC). Methods:  Household surveys were conducted on 2,336 Mexican Americans in Texas (771 in a non-border city and 1,565 from 3 border cities located in the three poorest counties in the U.S.) and 2,460 Mexicans from the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas in Mexico (811 in a non-border city and 1,649 from 3 cities bordering Texas and among the most affluent in Mexico).  Results: Among current drinkers, prevalence of AUD, based on two or more DSM-V criteria, was higher in border sites in the U.S. (24%) than in Mexico (11%), but rates were similar for the interior sites: 20% in the U.S. and 19% in Mexico.  AUD prevalence was marginally significantly greater (p<0.10) at the U.S. border compared to the interior, but the opposite was true in Mexico, with a significantly greater prevalence (p<0.001) in the interior than at the border.  Conclusion: The data suggest that border proximity may affect AUD in both the U.S. and Mexico, but in the opposite direction, and the relative prosperity of the border in comparison to the interior may be a factor with poor areas on both sides at greater risk for AUDs relative to more affluent areas.