Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Among Asian American Young Adults ages 18-24 living in 4 Counties bordering the San Francisco Bay

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available about Asian ethnic groups, the growing multi-ethnic and multi-racial (part Asian) populations and their ATOD use. In California public universities and colleges, these groups comprise almost 50% of their students. Investigation into ATOD practices and perception of risk is crucial, as these individuals are at equal risk for ATOD given the environment (college) and age group (ages 18-24).

METHODS: Through snowball and convenience sampling, 466 Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) young adults ages 18 to 24 from four San Francisco Bay Area counties were recruited for a 5-week substance abuse prevention and sexual health promotion workshops.  Data was collected through a risk behavior screening survey. Participants were drawn from two public universities, community settings, clubs, and HIV testing events throughout the Bay Area. We measured substance use, sexual practices by Asian ethnicity and language spoken at home to capture information relevant to this largely immigrant group.  The sample includes Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Multi-Ethnic/Racial (MER) young adults.  Chi-square statistics were used to determine associations between ethnicity and ATOD use.

RESULTS:  Filipino followed by MER 18-24 year old young adults had the highest rate of use than their Chinese and Vietnamese peers for most of the eleven drugs reportedly used.  Specifically, hookah use among Filipino and MER young adults were proportionately higher than their Chinese and Vietnamese peers (p=.00). Filipino followed by MER participants had higher percentages of reported use of blunts (tobacco mixed with marijuana) (p=.00).

CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, use of various substances varied by subpopulations. The consistent high percentage of Filipinos and Multi-ethnic/racial participants reporting use of hookah and blunt use warrant future studies.  Contributory or protective culture related factors for their use should be investigated to inform public health approaches to effectively lower morbidity and mortality rates relative to these substances.