Research & Resources

Researchers sought to understand the different factors that affect alcohol use in Hispanic/Latino youth by gender. Researchers collected and analyzed data on alcohol use and socio-ecological characteristics from almost 800 Hispanic/Latino 10th-grade students in Los Angeles, CA. The investigators found that 37.5 percent of their students used alcohol in the past 30 days and risk factors for use differed by gender. Male alcohol use was higher when they qualified for reduced lunch, the mother’s education level was less than high school, their peers drank, or they belonged to school clubs where members were likely to drink. Female alcohol use was higher when they experienced lower academic achievement, peer alcohol use, or parental alcohol use. The article, “Gender differences in socio-ecological determinants of alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It was published in the Journal of School Health.