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The authors used data from the older African American subsample of the National Survey of American Life (n = 837) to examine the sociodemographic and denominational correlates of organizational religious involvement among older African Americans. Six measures of organizational religious participation were used, including two measures of time allocation for organized religious pursuits. Significant gender, regional, marital status, and denominational differences in organizational religiosity were found. Of particular note, although older Black women generally displayed higher levels of religious participation, older Black men spent more hours per week in other activities at their places of worship. The findings are discussed in relation to prior work in the area of religious involvement among older adults. New directions for research on religious time allocation are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine whether the physical availability of alcohol is greater in predominantly African American communities compared to predominantly white communities as indicated by the presence of off premises liquor stores. We investigate the extent to which the income status of the residents of a community mediates the relationship between community racial composition and alcohol availability; and explore whether the intersection of race and class places low income African American communities at increased risk to have such stores located in their communities. Multivariate analytic techniques are used to examine the relationship between community racial composition, median income of neighborhood residents and per capita number of alcohol outlets in 194 census tracts in Baltimore, Maryland. The analysis found that liquor stores are disproportionately located in predominantly black census tracts, even after controlling for census tract socioeconomic status. Census tracts that are both low income and predominantly African American have substantially more liquor stores per capita than other census tracts. Although it is beyond the scope of the present study, our data reveal significant associations between the presence of liquor stores and the risk of health-related social problems in low income neighborhoods. More research needs to be done on the impact of alcohol on the social, psychological, and physiological health of low income urban populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although past research has long documented religion's salutary impact on adult health-related behaviors and outcomes, relatively little research has examined the relationship between religion and adolescent health. This study uses large, nationally representative samples of high school seniors to examine the relationship between religion and behavioral predictors of adolescent morbidity and mortality. Relative to their peers, religious youth are less likely to engage in behaviors that compromise their health (e.g., carrying weapons, getting into fights, drinking and driving) and are more likely to behave in ways that enhance their health (e.g., proper nutrition, exercise, and rest). Multivariate analyses suggest that these relationships persist even after controlling for demographic factors, and trend analyses reveal that they have existed over time. Particularly important is the finding that religious seniors have been relatively unaffected by past and recent increases in marijuana use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study uses large nationally representative samples of White, Black, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Other Latina, Asian American, and American Indian 8th-grade girls to examine racial/ethnic differences and similarities in patterns, trends, and socioeconomic correlates of cigarette use.Methods: The data are drawn from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study. Prevalence and trend data (from 1991 to 2007) in girls' cigarette use were examined by racial/ethnic subgroup. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which socioeconomic factors predict girls' cigarette use, and whether the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoking differed across racial/ethnic subgroup.Results: Cigarette use was highest among American Indian girls; at an intermediate level among Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Other Latinas, and White girls; and lowest among Black and Asian American girls. Trend data show that cigarette use has declined for all racial/ethnic subgroups, and that small but consistent racial/ethnic differences in girls' cigarette use have persisted. Generally, girls who did not live in two-parent households, whose parents had lower levels of educational attainment, who attended lower SES schools, and who had more disposable income were more likely than their peers to smoke. That said, however, the relationships between smoking and parental education and school SES were, on average, stronger for White girls than for Black or Hispanic (Mexican American, Other Latina, Puerto Rican) girls.Conclusions: Future research should seek to understand the mechanisms by which low SES impacts smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study examines differences in adolescents' use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs by racial and ethnic groups. METHODS: The authors analyzed questionnaire data from large, nationally representative samples of U.S. high school seniors to examine differences in drug use prevalence and trends among racial and ethnic groups between 1976 and 2000. RESULTS: On average, American Indian seniors showed the highest levels of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. Cuban American and white seniors also tended to have relatively high levels of substance use, followed by Mexican American and Puerto Rican seniors. Other Latin American, African American, and Asian American seniors reported the lowest levels of drug use. Most of these differences are longstanding, but some have widened and others narrowed during the past 25 years. CONCLUSION: Significant differences exist in adolescent use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs by racial and ethnic groups, and these differences have changed over time. Future research should examine these differences and seek to identify the sources and consequences of the disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racial/ethnic disparities in self-rated health persist and according to the social determinants of health framework, may be partially explained by residential context. The relationship between neighborhood factors and self-rated health has been examined in isolation but a more holistic approach is needed to understand how these factors may cluster together and how these neighborhood typologies relate to health. To address this gap, we conducted a latent profile analysis using data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study (CCAHS; N = 2969 respondents in 342 neighborhood clusters) to identify neighborhood profiles, examined differences in neighborhood characteristics among the identified typologies and tested their relationship to self-rated health. Results indicated four distinct classes of neighborhoods that vary significantly on most neighborhood-level social determinants of health and can be defined by racial/ethnic composition and class. Residents in Hispanic, majority black disadvantaged, and majority black non-poor neighborhoods all had significantly poorer self-rated health when compared to majority white neighborhoods. The difference between black non-poor and white neighborhoods in self-rated health was not significant when controlling for individual race/ethnicity. The results indicate that neighborhood factors do cluster by race and class of the neighborhood and that this clustering is related to poorer self-rated health., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The incarceration of young people is a growing national problem. Key correlates of incarceration among American youth include mental health problems, substance use, and delinquency. The present study uses a statewide sample of incarcerated youth to examine racial differences in African American and Caucasian juvenile offenders' outcomes related to mental health, substance use, and delinquency. The data indicate that relative to Caucasian offenders, African American offenders report lower levels of mental health problems and substance use but higher levels of delinquent behavior such as violence, weapon carrying, and gang fighting. The data further reveal that African American offenders are more likely than Caucasian offenders to be victims of violence and to experience traumatic events such as witnessing injury and death. Recognition of these patterns may help to improve postrelease services by tailoring or adapting preexisting programs to patterns of risk factors and their relative magnitudes of effect.

Previous research suggests that religiosity "protects" young people from substances abuse. Because most of this research has been based on samples of White youth, however, the extent to which its findings apply to Black and Hispanic youth is largely unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to address two relatively simple but essential questions: first, "How religious are American Black and Hispanic adolescents?" and second, "Does religiosity 'protect' Black and Hispanic young people from drug use as research suggests that it protects White youth?" The present study analyzed data from large, nationally representative samples of Black, Hispanic, and White 10th graders drawn from the Monitoring the Future Project. The results indicate that the majority of 10th graders, irrespective of racial or ethnic group, are at least somewhat religious and that a third or more might be considered very religious. The data further suggest that Black 10th graders are significantly more religious than White and Hispanic 10th graders. The data suggest that religion does, in fact, "protect" Black and Hispanic youth from substance abuse, but that the strength of this relationship is greater for White than for non-White youth. The reasons for racial and ethnic differences in the strength of the relationship between religiosity and substance abuse are not clear. One possibility is that religiosity may be more of a cultural or group phenomenon among non-White youth, while among White youth it may be more of an individual factor affecting individual behavior such as substance use. Understanding the mechanisms by which religion might influence substance use and the reasons why these mechanisms may vary by race and ethnicity is an important task for future research.

Objectives: We compared trends in and correlates of marijuana use, cocaine use, and heavy alcohol use for adolescents of Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Latin American heritage in the United States., Methods: We used/examined data from nationally representative samples of eighth-grade Hispanic students who participated in the Monitoring the Future study during the years 1991-2002 (n=24235)., Results: Drug use was significantly higher among boys and adolescents of almost all Hispanic ethnicities who did not live with both parents. In addition, drug use differed considerably according to ethnic group on language first spoken, parental education, urbanicity, and region., Conclusions: A better understanding of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of drug use patterns within and between Hispanic groups should assist in the development of prevention programs.

Objective: Past research has not fully explained why black youth are less likely than white youth to use alcohol and other substances. One plausible yet underexamined explanation is the "religion hypothesis," which posits that black youth are more likely than white youth to abstain because they are more religious than white youth. The present study tested this hypothesis empirically., Method: The study examined data from large, nationally representative samples of white and black 10th graders from the Monitoring the Future project., Results: Relative to white students, black students are more likely to abstain from alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana and are more highly religious. Consistent with the "religiosity hypothesis," race differences in abstinence are substantially reduced when race differences in religiosity are controlled. Unexpectedly, however, highly religious white youth are more likely than highly religious black youth to abstain from alcohol and marijuana use., Conclusions: Although religion is an important protective factor against alcohol and other substance use for both white and black adolescents, it appears to impact white youth at an individual level, whereas for black youth the influence of religion seems greatest at the group level. Future research should seek to better understand the mechanisms through which religion promotes adolescents' abstinence from the use of drugs and should seek to explain why the magnitude of its effect varies for black and white adolescents.

Aims: This paper examines ethnic differences in licit and illicit drug use among American 8th, 10th and 12th grade students, with a particular focus on girls., Design: The study uses cross-sectional data from large, ethnically diverse, nationally representative samples of 8th, 10th and 12th grade girls., Setting: Data were collected through questionnaires administered in schools., Participants: A total of 40 416 8th grade girls and 37 977 8th grade boys, 35 451 10th grade girls and 33 188 10th grade boys, and 33 588 12th grade girls and 31 014 12th grade boys took part in the study., Findings: Across ethnic groups, drug use is highest among Native American girls and lowest among black and Asian American girls. Trend data suggest that there have been important changes in girls' drug use over time and that girls' and boys' drug use patterns are converging., Conclusions: Drug use is widespread among American adolescent girls. Future research should examine further girls' drug use and seek to identify whether risk and protective factors identified in past research, based on predominantly white samples, are also important predictors for drug use among non-white girls.

Objective: Although there is a growing literature on racial/ethnic differences in alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among adolescents, relatively little is known about the social epidemiology of drug use within the black youth population. The purpose of this article is to address this knowledge gap., Method: Data from the Monitoring the Future Project are used to examine empirically the prevalence, trends and sociodemographic correlates of drug use among nationally representative samples of black eighth, tenth and twelfth graders (approximate N = 25,000)., Results: Alcohol is the drug most widely used by black youth, followed by tobacco and marijuana. By twelfth grade, seven in 10 black secondary students have used alcohol, less than 50% have smoked cigarettes, 25% have used marijuana and less than 2% have used cocaine. Trend data indicate that, although alcohol use has been relatively stable over time, cigarette and marijuana use are increasing. Gender and family structure are significant sociodemographic correlates of drug use, with use being, on average, higher among males than females, and higher among students who do not live with either of their parents than among those who live with at least one of their parents. The relationships between drug use and socioeconomic status, urbanicity and region vary depending on students' grade level and the specific drug in question., Conclusions: These findings provide an important empirical baseline for future research on the epidemiology and etiology of drug use among young black people.

Objective: The purposes of this article are to inform pediatricians and other health professionals of key contextual risk factors that elevate black and Hispanic Americans' likelihood to use substances and to discuss selected protective mechanisms that may shield members of these populations against substance use., Method: The article selectively reviews the literature on the epidemiology, etiology, and consequences of alcohol and other drug use among white, black, and Hispanic adults and youth., Results: The extant research suggests that historical and contemporary racialized practices and ideologies influence racial/ethnic differences in substance use outcomes, both directly and indirectly, through their influence on the communities in which people of different racial/ethnic groups are placed, through their influence on the structure and process of people's interpersonal relationships, and through the impact that they have on individuals' psychology and behavior., Conclusions: Although the emphasis of pediatricians' and many other helping professionals' work focuses on individuals and individual-level behaviors, these behaviors can only be properly examined, diagnosed, and treated when they are understood in light of the community and societal contexts in which they occur.

Background: This paper reports racial/ethnic differences in the use of licit and illicit drugs by high school seniors in the United States., Methods: The study uses questionnaire data from annual, nationally representative surveys of seniors from 1976 through 1989. Combined sample sizes were 57,620 for 1976-79; 75,772 for 1980-84; and 73,527 for 1985-89., Results: Native American had the highest prevalence rates for cigarettes, alcohol, and most illicit drugs; White students had the next highest rates for most drugs. Asian Americans had the lowest prevalence rates, and Black students had levels nearly as low except for marijuana. Prevalence rates for the Hispanic groups were mostly in the intermediate ranges except for relatively high cocaine use among the males. Trend patterns for most forms of drug use were similar across subgroups, although cigarette use declined more sharply for Black than White seniors, resulting in greater Black-White differences in recent years., Conclusions: This study, other school-based studies, and general population surveys all show relatively low levels of drug use by most non-White youth, especially Black Americans and Asian Americans. Multivariate analyses indicate that such subgroup differences in high school seniors' drug use are not primarily attributable to family composition, parents' education, region, or urban-rural distinctions.