Sex Differences in State Level Prevalence of Alcohol Use among Black Women and Men in the United States.

BACKGROUND

To investigate the differences in alcohol use among Black adults by sex across U.S. states the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

METHODS

Measured any alcohol use, heavy drinking (8+/15+ for women/men in a 7-day period), and binge drinking (4+/5+ in one session). Weighted prevalence estimates were age-standardized to the 2000 US population.

RESULTS

Binge drinking among Black men in the Midwest was highest ranging from 40% in Minnesota to 45.8% in Iowa. Black women in southern states had 6-10 percentage point higher prevalence of heavy drinking than Black men.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence in Southern states was higher than expected, especially among Black women.