Patterns of Alcohol Abstinence in Mexican Women Residing in the United States: Effects of Nativity and Duration in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Explore changes in abstinence rates in Mexican women (MW) residing in the United States based on nativity and time in the United States as an indicator risks for future alcohol-related disorders. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey evaluated rates of abstinence between 2000 and 2017. A logistic regression was completed to address the impact of age, years in the United States, sample years. SAMPLE: A total of 29,860 MW surveyed over an 18-year period that included those born in and outside the United States. PRIMARY RESEARCH VARIABLES: Dependent variable was abstinence status; independent variables included nativity, year of survey, age, years in the United States (if immigrant). RESULTS: Immigrant MW showed higher rates of alcohol abstinence than U.S.-born MW across all years, but regardless of place of birth, fewer MW are abstaining over time. Among immigrant MW, those only in the United States greater than 15 years had a greater risk of becoming a drinker than those in the United States less than 5 years. CONCLUSION: There are declining rates of alcohol abstinence among MW regardless of immigration status. The lower rate of abstinent MW increases their risk for alcohol-related disorders. Assessing MW's use of alcohol and providing targeted education is essential.

Drinks per day in women of Mexican origin: does birth place matter?

Historically, Mexican-born women who immigrate to the United States (U.S.) have lower levels of alcohol use and higher rates of abstinence compared with Mexican American women born in the U.S. and other racial groups in the U.S. As such, immigrant women's alcohol use has received limited attention by the research community. Gaps in knowledge of their alcohol use patterns, changes in healthy drinking recommendation for women, and projections of population growth in both Mexican immigrant and Mexican American populations support the need for the study. Data from the Center for Disease Control's National Health Interview Survey were used to explore alcohol use differences in women of Mexican origin born in and outside of the U.S. In addition, the relationship between years in the U.S. and drinks per day was explored in Mexican immigrant women. The results indicated that Mexican immigrant women who drink are drinking above recommended levels and the younger immigrant women are drinking more drinks per day than young Mexican American women. These changes point to the importance of developing culturally sensitive interventions for this expanding segment of the population.