title: Windows of opportunity: fundamental concepts for understanding alcohol-related disparities experienced by young Blacks in the United States.
abstract: This paper presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing alcohol-related disparities experienced by young Blacks in the United States. The framework highlights areas of risk and opportunity as they relate to the development of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. In this paper, life course development theory serves as a guide for identifying a critical period in the development of alcohol-related disparities and it serves to guide the identification of opportunities to prevent or attenuate this health outcome. We also highlight concepts from ecosocial theory, resilience theory, and prevention science that advance our understanding of risk and protective factors for the social problems that young Blacks experience related to alcohol use. We conclude with suggestions for designing studies that range from etiology to preventive interventions. We also recommend methodologies that allow for more nuanced understandings of the etiology and prevention of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems experienced by young Blacks than have been available to date.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Youth Alcohol Prevention Center, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, 580 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02118-2526, USA. onwu13@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dionne C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Godette
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Headen
authors.forename: Chandra L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology