Can it really be this black and white? An analysis of the relative importance of ethnic group and other sociodemographic factors to patterns of drug use and related risk among young Londoners

Abstract

Two hundred regular users of illegal drugs, aged 16–20, were recruited by peers in ten further education colleges across inner London. Data collected by self-completion questionnaire are presented on patterns of cigarette, alcohol, cannabis, stimulant and other drug use among White, Black and Asian ethnic groups. Multiple and logistic regression analyses are undertaken to study the relative significance of potential sociodemographic predictors of drug-related risk.

 Age, gender and educational attainment are all identified as being associated with some aspects of risk, but found to be much less influential than ethnic group. Young White people are found to be at particularly high risk in relation to levels of consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis, age of first use, and in lifetime prevalence rates for stimulant and other drugs. The contrast is particularly stark when comparison is made with young Black people. These findings are confirmed when additionally controlling for socioeconomic deprivation variables in a subsample of 179 for whom such data were available. Ethnic group proved to be the most influential predictor of drug use, while deprivation was commonly associated with drug problems. The representativeness of these findings is considered and possible implications for further study are discussed.