306052
Alcohol use patterns and alcohol problems of Mexicans and Mexican-origin adults around the US-Mexico border
Methods: We studied prevalence of drinking patterns—interacting prior-year volume and maximum amount/day (Never, 5+/4+, 8+, 12+) in the border region and interior cities of Texas and bordering Mexican states. We used 2011-12 US-Mexico Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions surveys with 2,336 Mexican Americans in Texas (771 in a non-border city and 1,565 from 3 border cities) and 2,460 Mexicans from Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas (811 non-border, and 1,649 from 3 border cities).
Results: Abstention was more prevalent in Mexico than the US for both men (33.5% vs. 18.1) and women (62.7% vs. 38.6%, respectively). High volume (≥2 drinks/day, men; ≥ 1 drink/day, women) was more prevalent in the US than Mexico (22.5% vs. 13.6%, men; 11.4% vs 3.2%, women). For men, high maxima (8+ at 1-2 drinks/day volume, and 12+ at ≥2 drinks/day) predicted significantly higher alcohol problem rates; highest volumes and maximum men in the US, 71% (vs. 60% Mexico) reported alcohol problems while for women at ≥ 1 drink/day volume with 8+ maximum rates were 62% (US) and 39% (Mexico). Direction of border proximity effects differed by country, highest intake volume being more prevalent on the US border than off-border with the reverse seen in Mexico.
Conclusion: Culturally appropriate alcohol policy, prevention, and treatment accessibility strategies need to be developed and deployed on both sides of the border, but especially in the US.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe alcohol use patterns and problems of Mexican and Mexican-origin populations in cities on both sides of the border, and both on and off the Texas US-Mexican border.
Assess the influence on drinking patterns of border proximity, how it differs in the two countries, and possible cultural explanations for these differences.
Discuss the varying relationships between alcohol intake patterns (volume and heavy drinking occasions) seen for Mexican/Mexican-origin men and women living near the US-Mexican border.
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have many years of experience with alcohol epidemiology and with alcohol-related health disparities research; I direct the National Alcohol Research Center on the Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems; I work on the NIAAA grants funding this study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.