Citation

Maldonado-Molina MM, Delcher C. Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 2012; 36(4): 566-567.

Affiliation

Department of Health Outcomes and Policy , Institute for Child Health Policy, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01779.x

PMID

22413995

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In this commentary, we discuss a study by Caetano and colleagues (2012) that examines alcohol consumption and binge drinking behavior among U.S.-Mexico border and non-border Mexican Americans using data from the Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey. METHODS: We discuss how Caetano and colleagues (2012) addressed 3 gaps in our understanding of drinking behaviors among Hispanics: (1) effects of living near the U.S.-Mexico border, (2) gender differences in drinking behaviors, and (3) alcohol-related outcomes among young women. RESULTS: Findings suggest that Mexican American men and women living along the U.S.-Mexico border reported higher levels of drinking than their U.S. metropolitan counterparts (Caetano et al., 2012). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents an important contribution to the dearth of studies investigating disparities in alcohol-related consequences among Hispanic young adults living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Future research needs to examine why contextual factors of the U.S.-Mexico border generate differential effects in the Mexican American population.

Language: en