Acculturation and Drinking Patterns Among U. S. Hispanics

This paper reports on the relationship between drinking patterns and acculturation of Hispanics to U. S. society. Subjects comprise a national probability sample of members of this ethnic group. Acculturation is a composite measure which covers language used, media preference and other aspects of daily life. Acculturation is associated with decreased abstention among older men, and with a higher rate of frequent heavy drinking among younger men. More acculturated women have five times more chance of being drinkers than women in the low acculturation group. Women in the high acculturation group have 9 times more chances of being frequent high maximum or frequent heavy drinkers than women in the low acculturation group. Overall, the association between drinking patterns and acculturation is stronger and more consistent for women than for men.