Diversity & Health Disparities | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Diversity & Health Disparities | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Diversity & Health Disparities

Certain ethnic and racial minorities as well as other underserved populations experience more negative consequences of illness and premature death than other groups. These health disparities often affect groups including:

• Hispanics
• Blacks
• Native Americans
• Rural and economically disadvantaged populations

While Hispanics and Blacks have relatively fewer alcohol use disorders than do non-Hispanic whites, ethnic and racial disparities still exist for alcohol-related diseases, problems, and deaths in these groups. These disparities are evident in:
Patterns of drinking
In general, Hispanics and Blacks have higher rates of complete abstinence from alcohol than non-Hispanic whites and other groups. But those who do drink consume more alcohol and often have higher rates of binge drinking.
Alcohol and health consequences

• Cirrhosis death rates are very high among white Americans of Hispanic origin, lower among non-Hispanic Blacks, and lower still among non-Hispanic whites.¹
• Hispanics and Blacks have a higher risk for developing alcohol-related liver disease than whites.²
• Alcohol-related traffic deaths are many times more frequent among Native Americans or Alaska natives than among other minorities.³
• Self-reported rates of DUI are highest among mixed race and Native Americans and Alaska Natives.⁴
• Hispanics are overrepresented among drunk drivers and DUI-related fatalities.⁵
• Between 2001 and 2005, alcohol played a role in 11.7 percent of all Native American deaths, which is more than twice the rates of the general American public.⁶

NIAAA research addresses health disparities in the following areas:
General

• Health Disparities Research

Epidemiology and Prevention Research

• Alcohol and HIV/AIDS
• National Epidemiological Surveys
• Preventing Alcohol Use among African-American Youth
• Trial of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention and Diagnosis among Indians
• Yupuicimta Asvairtuumallerkaa (YA) "Strengthening your Identity as Yup'ik People" People Awakening Resilience Project (PARP), Cuqyun "Measuring"

Treatment and Health Services Research

• Alcohol Treatment and Health Disparities in American Indians
• Family Intervention of Youth AOD in Indian Communities
• Racial Disparities in Access to Appropriate Alcohol Treatment Services
• Women on Welfare, Violence, Alcohol Use, Service Use, & Welfare Trajectory

Neuroscience Research

• Alcohol Dependence Genetics in a Large Chinese Pedigree
• Alcohol Pharmacogenetics in Mexican Americans
• Risk Factors for Alcoholism in Native Americans

Infrastructure Development

• Training the Next Generation of Minority Health & Health Disparities Researchers
• Developmental Alcohol Research Center: Howard University, Biological Determinants of Alcohol Action in Minorities Epidemiologic Research

Learn more about NIAAA’s strategy on addressing Health Disparities.

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¹ 2009-2013 Health Disparities Strategic Plan, p.4
² Ibid, p.4
³ Ibid, p.4
⁴ Ibid, p.4
⁵ Ibid, p.4
⁶ Ethnicity and Health Disparities in Alcohol Research, Chartier and Caetano http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh40/152-160.htm