Knowledge and Misconceptions Among Inner-City African-American Mothers Regarding Alcohol and Drug Use

Abstract

Alcohol and drug knowledge of inner-city mothers was evaluated following an educational mailing, and the relationship between knowledge and alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy was tested. Eighty-four postpartum African-American mothers with known alcohol and drug use during pregnancy received a U.S. Department of Education publication, Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention. Results of a phone-administered quiz from this booklet were compiled, and alcohol and drug use subgroups were compared. the average score was 50%. Half of the women did not know that alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the United States. Few identified alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana as the three drugs most commonly used by children. Lack of teenage substance use experience was perceived to increase the risk of chemical dependency. Drinkers and drug users were fourfold more likely to answer at least six questions correctly (p =. 03 each, logistic regression). Parental knowledge of substance use, particularly of alcohol, remains inadequate. We suggest that appropriate parental education tools are still needed for optimal primary prevention of substance use by inner-city children.

Key Words:

• Alcohol drinking
• Blacks
• Parents
• Prevention
• Public health
• Substance abuse
• Urban population