Demographic Subpopulations

Alcohol consumption is a common practice across the United States of America and several other countries in the world. Despite it being a shared practice in most parts of the world, heterogeneity in alcohol consumption among demographic subpopulations (gender and race) exists. Such heterogeneity is also true for health burdens and complications associated with alcohol consumption. This is especially true when the groups are segmented into gender and race. Gender is a very distinctive state with little to no middle ground. Gender is often segmented into male or female. This is attributed to it being defined more in terms of cultural and social differences as opposed to biological differences. In the same breathe the male and female genders have

The study’s defined sub-groups include gender, age and race. The research is based on self-reported information put together to present a clear picture of different patterns of alcohol consumption in defined sub-groups. In relation to abstinence of alcohol use, women were reported to be more abstinent (40%) compared to men (32%). The study also states that past-month drinkers were recorded at a 57.4% for men and 46.5% for women. The two findings are from research work conducted by two independent bodies with the former conducted by National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) while the latter having being conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

A substantial difference in alcohol consumption behavior across different ethnic groups is evident. According to Jorgenson et al, Non-Hispanic whites were reported to be the largest consumers of alcohol at 67.5 % while East Asians were reported to be at 45.5%. In between are Latinos at 62% and African Americans at 52%. The numbers suggest that minority ethnic groups consume less alcohol compared to the big ethnic groups. Social and cultural contexts of alcohol use can be used to explain the disparities in alcohol consumption. One cultural factor contributing to the disparities is cultural norms and beliefs. Unlike the Whites, African-Americans and the Latinos have a conservative attitude towards alcohol consumption. Looking at the African-American ethnic group, they draw their roots from Africa. Africans generally regard alcohol as a beverage that should be drunk on an occasion and not on a daily basis. In return, they take their time to brew the alcohol for the occasion. This perhaps explains why this ethnic group does not engage in alcohol consumption as much as their white