Hispanic Drinking Practices in Northern California

The data for this study come from three independent general population surveys conducted between 1978 and 1980 in three communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. All surveys followed the same sampling plan and only probability techniques were employed. Of a total of 4,510 adult respondents, 634 identified themselves as Hispanics and are the subject of this report. About 75% of the women are either abstainers or occasional and infrequent drinkers. The percentage of abstainers and frequent heavier drinkers among men is 14% and 26%, respectively. Among women, drinking is associated with being young, single and separated or divorced, and with having a higher income and higher education. Among men, drinking is associated with being young, single and separated or divorced and with being Catholic. The best predictors of alcohol-problems are the number of drinks consumed per month, being unemployed and being male. Also, among Hispanic males the rates of heavier drinkers and alcohol-related problems do not decrease abruptly from the twenties to the thirties as has been traditionally reported for the U.S. general population, but remain high until middle-age. In general, the results confirm previous findings which indicate that Hispanics have a higher rate of heavy drinking and alcohol problems than other ethnic groups in the U.S. population.