The Association of Alcohol Consumption with Tobacco Use in Black and White College Students

Abstract

This study explored the association of alcohol and tobacco use among college students. A survey was administered in 2004 to 2,189 Black and White students from the southeastern United States. The prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use, tobacco use characteristics according to level of alcohol consumed, and percentage of students using tobacco according to type of alcoholic beverages consumed were evaluated. The interaction of race and gender with alcohol and tobacco use was explored. Our findings extend prior investigations that have found alcohol use associated with smoking and suggest attention be paid to the relation of alcohol to other forms of tobacco. Racial and gender differences are highlighted. This study was funded by Mayo Clinic. The study's limitations were noted.

RÉSUMÉ

L’Association de la Consommation d’Alcool avec Utilisation de tabac chez les étudiants universitaires noirs et blancs

Cette étude a exploré l’association de l’utilisation d’alcool et de tabac chez les étudiants universitaires. Un sondage fut administré en 2004 auprès de 2.189 étudiants noirs et blancs du sud-est des Etats-Unis. La prédominance de l’utilisation d’alcool et de tabac, les caractéristiques d’utilisation de tabac selon le niveau de l’alcool consommé, et le pourcentage utilisant le tabac selon le type de boissons alcoolisées consommées étaient évalués. L’interaction de la race et du sexe avec l’utilisation d’alcool et de tabac a été explorée. Nos résultats prolongent les investigations antérieures qui ont trouvé l’utilisation d’alcool liée au tabagisme, et suggèrent qu’une certaine attention soit prêtée à la relation entre l’alcool et d’autres formes de tabac. Des différences raciales et de genre sont accentués. Cette étude a été financée par la clinique Mayo.

Mots clés: alcool, tabac, fumeur, université, Afro-américains

SINOPSIS

Relación entre el consumo de alcohol y tabaco en estudiantes universitarios de raza blanca y negra

Este estudio exploró la relación entre el consumo de alcohol y tabaco en estudiantes universitarios. En el año 2004, se administró una encuesta a 2.189 estudiantes de raza blanca y negra del sudeste de los Estados Unidos. Se evaluó la prevalencia del consumo de alcohol y tabaco, las características del consumo de tabaco según el nivel de alcohol ingerido, y el porcentaje que consumía tabaco según el tipo de bebida alcohólica ingerida. Se exploró la interacción entre raza y sexo, por un lado; y por otro, el consumo de alcohol y tabaco. Los hallazgos amplían investigaciones anteriores que descubrieron que el consumo de alcohol se relaciona con el hábito de fumar, y plantean que debe prestarse atención a la relación entre el alcohol y otras formas de tabaco. Se subrayan las diferencias raciales y de sexo. El estudio fue financiado por Mayo Clinic.

Palabras clave: alcohol, tabaco, hábito de fumar, universidad, afroamericanos.

Keywords :

• alcohol
• tobacco
• smoking
• college
• African Americans

THE AUTHORS

Steven C. Ames, Ph.D., ABPP, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and an Assistant Professor of Oncology within the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Mayo Clinic. He is board certified in clinical health psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Ames is also affiliated with the Mayo Clinic National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center where he serves as the Chair of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Jacksonville, Florida location. Dr. Ames’ area of research interest focuses on development of novel smoking cessation interventions for younger populations. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University.

Susanna R. Stevens, M.S., has been a statistician involved in psychiatry and psychology research at Mayo Clinic since 2001. She has assisted with the analyses for many studies at Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center, and she is currently involved in studies with the Mayo Clinic Samuel C. Johnson Genomics of Addiction Program.

Darrell R. Schroeder, M.S., is an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. He has provided statistical support for the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center for over 15 years. His current research interests focus on methods for dealing with missing data and on the application of data analysis methods in the areas of nicotine dependence, pulmonary medicine, and anesthesiology.

Chudley E. Werch, Ph.D., has been studying youth health issues for the past 25 years and is currently conducting research evaluating the efficacy of brief interventions for impacting multiple health behaviors among at-risk adolescents and young adults. He has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health as a Principal Investigator since 1992. Dr. Werch's scholarship includes developing and testing over a dozen preventive interventions, two of which have received Model Exemplary Program Awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Joan M. Carlson, M.S.W., is a doctoral student at Florida State University's College of Social Work. Ms Carlson's previous work has focused on college student prevention programming and intervention design for high-risk behavior among young adults, specifically alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use with special emphasis on spirituality and religion.

Gebre-E. Kiros, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Public Health at the Institute of Public Health, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. His research includes demography, child and adolescent health, health disparities, and application of contemporary statistical methods to health data.

Josephine M. Kershaw, Ph.D., M.B.A., is an Associate Professor of Health Care Management at the University of Findlay. She obtained her Ph.D. in the Social Sciences and Education with an emphasis on economics and her M.B.A. with an interdisciplinary specialization in health services policy and administration from Florida State University. Before joining the faculty at the University of Findlay, Dr. Kershaw taught for nine years at Florida A&M University, where she received the prestigious Teacher of the Year Award. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Kershaw served as the Director of Evaluation for Florida's Tobacco Pilot Program. She has also been a senior epidemiologist for the Department of Health and a senior management analyst for the Department of Elder Affairs. Previously, she conducted legislative performance reviews of various state agency programs and served as editor of the 1993 Florida State Health Plan. Dr. Kershaw has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributed to several evaluation reports, and authored two book chapters. Dr. Kershaw also has graduate certificates in human resource development, evaluation, and gerontology. Her research interests are in the areas of health disparities, tobacco control, HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy prevention, long-term care, human rights, and health policy.

Christi A. Patten, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, a licensed clinical psychologist, and Director of the Behavioral Health Research program within the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic Rochester. She completed her doctoral work in clinical psychology at the University of California, San Diego and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in nicotine research at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Patten's work has focused on developing novel, theory-based behavioral interventions for tobacco cessation among Alaska Natives, adolescents, and tobacco users with psychiatric comorbidity. In addition, her work focuses on developing support interventions for smoking cessation targeted to nonsmoking family members and friends of a smoker.

Jon O. Ebbert, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine, a general internist, and a consultant in the Nicotine Dependence Center in the division of Primary Care Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He conducts research in tobacco dependence with a special emphasis on smokeless tobacco use.

Kenneth P. Offord, M.S., is a Professor of Biostatistics, emeritus, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic Rochester. He did his graduate work at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Professor Offord was founder and director of the Survey Research Center at Mayo Clinic. His statistical and survey research expertise touched many areas but in the most recent years his work focused on nicotine dependence treatment including tobacco cessation among Alaska Natives and interventions for nonsmokers to assist smoking family members and friends in quitting.