Presentation
Effect of the Intersection Between Sexual Identity and Race-Ethnicity on Patterns of Alcohol Use: Analyses of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2015-2019
2021 Florida HIV CPR Conference
(2021)
Abstract
Background: Claims of greater hazardous drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences among sexual minorities appear unfounded and need to be further studied within an intersectional framework. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the groups at higher risk of experiencing alcohol use across 28 population subgroups based on their sexual identity (SI) and race/ethnicity.
Methods: Data from 282,768 US adults (18+ years old) who participated in the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were analyzed in this report. The outcome variables of interest included: binge drinking in the past month (i.e., five or more drinks, for males, or four or more drinks, for females, at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other, on at least 1 day in the past 30 days), heavy drinking in the past month (i.e., binge drinking on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days) and DSM-IV alcohol use disorder. The main covariates of interest included SI [“Which one of the following do you consider yourself to be?” 1) heterosexual, 2) gay or lesbian, 3) bisexual or 4) I don’t know/refuse to respond], and self-identified race/ethnicity [1) non-Hispanic White, 2) non-Hispanic Black or African-American, 3) non-Hispanic American-Indian/Alaska-Native, 4) non-Hispanic Native-Hawaiian/other Pacific-Islander, 5) non-Hispanic Asian, or 6) non-Hispanic multiple races or 7) Hispanic]. Adjusted predictive probabilities are estimated from logistic regression models that include an interaction term for the covariates of interest. All estimates account for the survey’s complex design.
Results: The highest adjusted rates of binge drinking were observed among homosexual (35.4%, 95% C.I. 30.4, 40.4) and bisexual (36.4%, 95% C.I. 33.1, 39.8) Hispanics, and the lowest among those who reported “I don’t know/refusal” SI non-Hispanic Native-Hawaiian/other Pacific-Islander (6.2%, 95% C.I. 0.1, 13.0). The highest adjusted rates of heavy alcohol use were observed among heterosexual non-Hispanic American-Indian/Alaska-Natives (19.3%, 95% C.I. 7.3, 31.5) and the lowest among bisexual (1.5%, 95% C.I. 0.4, 2.5) and SI “I don’t know/refusal” (0.8%, 95% C.I. 0.1, 2.0) non-Hispanic Asians. The highest adjusted rates of a past 12-month diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder use were observed among homosexual (18.6%, 95% C.I. 0.1, 39.5) and bisexual (19.4%, 95% C.I. 0.2, 36.6) non-Hispanic Native-Hawaiian/other Pacific-Islander, and the lowest among those who reported an “I don’t know/refusal” SI non-Hispanic Asian (0.9%, 95% C.I. 0.1, 2.0).
Conclusions: Alcohol use varies substantially across the diverse US population. Understanding these differences is essential to develop culturally relevant and structurally competent alcohol use interventions. This report examining alcohol use behaviors among 28 subgroups might contribute to deconstructing narratives that undermine alcohol use prevention efforts among sexual minorities or racial-ethnic subgroups.
Disciplines
Publication Date
April 29, 2021
Location
Virtual
Citation Information
Cyrus Fatemi, Vinita Sharma, Wei Xue and Catalina Lopez-Quintero. "Effect of the Intersection Between Sexual Identity and Race-Ethnicity on Patterns of Alcohol Use: Analyses of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2015-2019" 2021 Florida HIV CPR Conference (2021) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/vinita-sharma/15/