Differences in African American and White College Students' Drinking Behaviors: Consequences, Harm Reduction Strategies, and Health Information Sources

Abstract

The authors explored the differences between African American and White college students' drinking behaviors and their attitudes toward consequences, harm-reduction strategies, and health information sources. They collected data from a randomly selected sample of 1,110 students in a large public university to examine the effects of a high-risk drinking prevention intervention. In the current analysis, they compared African American and White students on indicators of high-risk drinking, drinking consequences, harm-reduction strategies, the sources that students typically used for health information, and the believability of those sources. The African American students scored lower on drinking measures than the White students did, reported fewer negative consequences, and more regularly employed drinking-reduction strategies, with one exception--choosing a designated driver. Both African and White respondents reported that their parents were their most frequent and usual sources of health-related information and said that parents and health professionals were the most credible sources.

College students' alcohol-related problems: A test of competing theories

“…Racial differences had also been reported, as White students tended to drink more than their non-White counterparts (Wechsler et al, 2003), and African American students reported fewer negative consequences from drinking than Whites (Siebert, Wilke, Delva, Smith, & Howell, 2003). These racial differences in alcohol consumption had also been found in an all female sample (Madison-Colmore, Ford, Cooke, & Ellis, 2003).…”

Reactions of Men of Color to a Commonly Used Rape Prevention Program: Attitude and Predicted Behavior Changes

“…Though the link between alcohol and sexual assault has long been studied, few have studied how race, alcohol related sexual assault, and prevention programming intersect. One reason these are important phenomena to study together is that racial groups differ in their consumption of alcohol, with greater consumption of alcohol reported by Caucasians than African Americans and Asian college students (Luczak et al 2001;Mohler-Kuo et al 2004;Siebert et al 2003). These different norms for drinking between the various races may significantly impact the context in which rape occurs on college campuses.…”

A Mediational Model of Racial Discrimination and Alcohol-Related Problems Among African American College Students

“…Although African American students drink relatively less than their European American peers, excessive use and problems are still prevalent among this group (Meilman et al, 1995;Siebert et al, 2003). Furthermore, African American students report frequent experiences with discrimination (Chao et al, 2012;Swim et al, 2003).…”