Drinking patterns and problems: a comparison of two black primary care samples in two regions.
This paper explores the effect of regional ("wet" vs. "dry") variation in drinking patterns and problems on the prevalence of alcohol-related problems among those seeking care in primary care settings. A sample of black primary care patients interviewed in Hinds County, MS (n = 740) and in Contra Costa County, CA (n = 93) are compared on quantity and frequency of usual drinking, drunkenness, consequences of drinking, and alcohol dependence. Controlling for demographic differences in logistic regression analysis, drinkers in Contra Costa, while no more likely to report heavy drinking, were four times more likely to report alcohol-related consequences, more than five times more likely to report alcohol dependence experiences, and more than nine and a half times more likely to report ever having had treatment for an alcohol problem than those in Hinds County. Data suggest that regional variations in drinking patterns may be reflected in alcohol involvement in primary care caseloads, and that the large variation in the prevalence of alcohol-related problems found in primary care settings may, in part, be attributable to this. All primary care settings do not appear to hold equal promise for screening for and intervening with problem drinking, and further research is needed in determining those settings that provide the greatest potential for targeting prevention efforts.
Cherpitel
C J
CJ
Public Health Institute, Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, California 94709, USA. ccherpitel@arg.org
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D001944:Breath Tests; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors