Associations between acculturation and alcohol consumption of Latino men in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the relationship between acculturation and six distinct drinking outcomes. We expected high levels of acculturation to be associated with higher odds of being a drinker and, among drinkers, with lower frequency of drinking, less alcohol consumption per year, less heavy drinking, fewer episodes of drunkenness, and fewer dependence symptoms.


METHODS
The data consisted of a nationally representative sample of Latino men ages 18 and older (N = 784) from the 2005 National Alcohol Survey. The men were predominantly Mexican and Mexican American (64%), and most were born outside the United States (68%). Analyses included both bivariate and multivariate regression models using weights to adjust for sampling and nonresponse.


RESULTS
The hypotheses were partially supported. Men at high levels of acculturation were more likely than their peers at low levels of acculturation to be drinkers but only if they had above-average incomes. Counter to expectations, among drinkers there was a protective effect of medium, rather than high, levels of acculturation on frequency of drinking, volume of alcohol consumed, drinking to drunkenness, and dependence symptoms, with a protective effect approaching significance for heavy drinking.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings have implications for future research and public health programs designed to reach Latino men in the United States.
Karriker-Jaffe
Katherine J
KJ
Alcohol Research Group, 6475 Christie Avenue, Suite 400, Emeryville, California 94608-1010, USA. kkarrikerjaffe@arg.org
Zemore
Sarah E
SE
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology