Framing Ethnic Variations in Alcohol Outcomes from Biological Pathways to Neighborhood Context

Abstract

Health disparities research seeks to eliminate disproportionate negative health outcomes experienced in some racial/ethnic minority groups. This brief review presents findings on factors associated with drinking and alcohol-related problems in racial/ethnic groups. Those discussed are: 1) biological pathways to alcohol problems, 2) gene by stress interactions, 3) neighborhood disadvantage, stress, and access to alcohol, and 4) drinking cultures and contexts. These factors and their interrelationships are complex, requiring a multi-level perspective. The use of interdisciplinary teams and an epigenetic focus are suggested to move the research forward. The application of multi-level research to policy, prevention, and intervention programs may help prioritize combinations of the most promising intervention targets.

Racial/ethnic differences in initiation of and engagement with addictions treatment among patients with alcohol use disorders in the veterans health administration

“…Due to a long history of residential segregation in the United States, neighborhood disadvantage is strongly patterned by race such that black people are much more likely than whites to reside in low-income neighborhoods (White, Haas, & Williams, 2012). Disadvantaged neighborhoods have a higher percentage of liquor stores and more alcohol-related advertising than advantaged neighborhoods (Chartier et al, 2014). Alcohol-related problems are more prevalent for black than white men in disadvantaged communities (Jones-Webb, Snowden, Herd, Short, & Hannan, 1997; Karriker-Jaffe et al, 2012).…”

Dissecting Ancestry Genomic Background in Substance Dependence Genome-Wide Association Studies

“…Regarding drug dependence specifically, genetic studies have high-lighted significant differences in genetic predisposition among populations, especially between European and African ancestries, which are the most studied [4,5]. Furthermore, epidemiologic studies indicated ethnic disparities in the prevalence of substance dependence traits among ancestry groups [21–23]. However, to our knowledge, no studies have endeavored to explain the genetic mechanisms at the basis of ancestry-related differences in genetic predisposition to drug dependence.…”

The association between alcohol abuse and neuroendocrine system dysregulation: Race differences in a National sample

“…One biologically plausible explanation for the paradoxical finding among Whites and compared to African Americans is racial/ethnic differences in genotypes of alcohol metabolizing enzymes (Chartier et al, 2014). For instance, ADH1B*3—the most widely replicated genetic variant of aldehyde dehydrogenase and primary enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol faster, is more prevalent among African Americans compared to Caucasians (Brennan et al, 2004; McCarthy et al, 2010).…”