Investigating the Immigrant Paradox in Alcohol Consumption
Session Number
BHVSO 14
Advisor(s)
Dr. Emma Childs, University of Illinois at Chicago
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
17-4-2024 10:25 AM
End Date
17-4-2024 10:40 AM
Abstract
Alcohol use in America remains a complex issue shaped by cultural, historical, and socioeconomic factors, with variations that often highlight the immigrant paradox between immigrants and native-born Americans. It's been ingrained in many social customs, traditions, and religious practices across regions and demographics, making it vital to use those factors to understand differences in consumption rates between these two groups. At the start of the study, we hypothesized that consumption rates would be lower in immigrant populations due to previous studies on the subject having shown this. In this study, we used public access datasets (NSDUH 2018-2019) to compare the past year's alcohol consumption and past month's binge drinking (as a function of immigrant status). We qualitatively describe alcohol use rates in the origin countries of the largest immigrant populations in the US and discuss social and cultural influences as a basis for the immigrant paradox.
Investigating the Immigrant Paradox in Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol use in America remains a complex issue shaped by cultural, historical, and socioeconomic factors, with variations that often highlight the immigrant paradox between immigrants and native-born Americans. It's been ingrained in many social customs, traditions, and religious practices across regions and demographics, making it vital to use those factors to understand differences in consumption rates between these two groups. At the start of the study, we hypothesized that consumption rates would be lower in immigrant populations due to previous studies on the subject having shown this. In this study, we used public access datasets (NSDUH 2018-2019) to compare the past year's alcohol consumption and past month's binge drinking (as a function of immigrant status). We qualitatively describe alcohol use rates in the origin countries of the largest immigrant populations in the US and discuss social and cultural influences as a basis for the immigrant paradox.