ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine factors associated with adverse consequences of alcohol consumption among a community sample of drinkers in a low-income, racial, and ethnic minority community. METHODS: A sample of 329 drinkers was recruited from 17 randomly selected off-sell alcohol outlets in South Los Angeles. Respondents were interviewed by trained research personnel on their demographic characteristics, income, drinking patterns and preferences, and alcohol-related adverse consequences (using the Drinkers Inventory of Consequences--DrInC), among other items. We developed logistic regression models predicting high scores on DrInC total score and subscales (impulse control, interpersonal, intrapersonal, physical, and social responsibility). RESULTS: In this sample, we found drinking patterns--bingeing, drinking outdoors, drinking in the morning--to be significantly associated with total DrInC scores and some subscales. Malt liquor beverage (MLB) use was significantly associated with total DrInC score and interpersonal and social responsibility subscales. Previous alcohol treatment predicted all but 1 DrInC subscale and total score. CONCLUSIONS: A diverse array of factors predicted high DrInC total and subscale scores. More research on the association between MLB use and consequences is required. In addition, studies with community samples are likely to further enrich our understanding of the interactions between drinking patterns and preferences, settings, and negative consequences.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects , Alcohol Drinking/ethnology , Minority Groups , Racial Groups/ethnology , Social Class , Adult , Black or African American/ethnology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Data Collection , Female , Hispanic or Latino/ethnology , Humans , Impulsive Behavior/ethnology , Interpersonal Relations , Logistic Models , Los Angeles , Male , Middle Aged , Social Responsibility , White People/ethnologyABSTRACT
This study tests the effect of neighborhood changes on gonorrhea rates. Prior studies that indicate gonorrhea rates are associated with alcohol outlet density and neighborhood deterioration have been cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. After the 1992 Civil Unrest in Los Angeles, 270 alcohol outlets surrendered their licenses due to arson and vandalism thus providing a natural experiment. We geocoded all reported gonorrhea cases from 1988 to 1996 in LA County, all annually licensed alcohol outlets, and all properties damaged as a result of the civil unrest. We ran individual growth models to examine the independent effects of changes in alcohol outlets and damaged buildings on gonorrhea. The individual growth model explained over 90% of the residual variance in census tract gonorrhea rates. After the civil unrest, a unit decrease in the number of alcohol outlets per mile of roadway was associated with 21 fewer gonorrhea cases per 100,000 (p<.01) in tracts affected by the Unrest compared to those not affected. Neighborhood alcohol outlets appear to be significantly associated with changes in gonorrhea rates. The findings suggest that efforts to control sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and HIV, should address contextual factors that facilitate high-risk behaviors and disease transmission.
