Ethnic Drinking Cultures and Alcohol Use among Asian American Adults: Findings from a National Survey

Won Kim Cook,Katherine Karriker-Jaffe,Nina Mulia

doi:10.1093/alcalc/ags017

Won Kim Cook, Katherine Karriker-Jaffe + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/ags017

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Abstract

To investigate the influence of ethnic drinking cultures on alcohol use by Asian Americans and how this influence may be moderated by their level of integration into Asian ethnic cultures. A nationally representative sample of 952 Asian American adults extracted from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions data was used. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were fitted, some of which were stratified by nativity. Controlling for financial stress, discrimination and demographic variables, a hypothesized, positive relationship between ethnic drinking cultures and alcohol outcomes held for most drinking outcomes. A hypothesis on the moderating effect of integration into ethnic cultures indicated by ethnic language use was supported for US-born Asian Americans. Ethnic drinking cultures may significantly influence alcohol use by Asian Americans. The influence of ethnic drinking cultures may be conditioned by the degree of integration into the ethnic cultures. To inform alcohol interventions for reducing harmful and hazardous alcohol use among immigrants, future research needs to explore the cultural and social processes occurring in immigrant communities that might significantly influence drinking.

Highlights

We examined the influence of ethnic drinking cultures on alcohol consumption among Asian Americans in the USA, an ethnically and socioeconomically heterogeneous population that is among the least-investigated racial groups in alcohol research
43.6% of our sample reported annual family incomes of $60,000 or more. While this is similar to the general US population (44.4%), it is lower than the proportion of Asian Americans overall (54.4%) (US Census Bureau, 2004)
Our study demonstrates that ethnic drinking cultures in the country of origin (COO)—prevalence of drinking in ethnic cultures—have significant bearings on drinking behaviors of Asian Americans

Summary

Introduction

We examined the influence of ethnic drinking cultures on alcohol consumption among Asian Americans in the USA, an ethnically and socioeconomically heterogeneous population that is among the least-investigated racial groups in alcohol research. Lack of a clearly specified reference group (Hunt et al, 2004), with the presumption that White Americans typify ‘Americanness’ (Abraido-Lanza et al, 2006) despite the tremendous diversity of US cultural practices, even among White Americans Related to this is a common presumption that alcohol consumption following an immigrant’s arrival in the USA is largely attributable to the influence of US culture (Gutmann, 1999). Ethnic cultures that immigrants bring to this country and which may influence their health behavior (including alcohol use) are overlooked Still another limitation of acculturation research concerns the acculturation measures employed, often involving proxy variables such as nativity or language use, which do not have clear bearings on the specific health issue at hand (Abraido-Lanza et al, 2006). The shortcomings of acculturation measures make it difficult to elucidate the specific mechanisms through which acculturation influences health behavior (Salant and Lauderdale, 2003)

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