A grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to combat underage drinking seems a worthy enough endeavor.
But at first we had to wonder why the Gettysburg-based Collaborating for Youth would choose to focus the nearly $17,000 grant on underage drinking among Latinos. It seems that rates of drinking are similar among young people of different ethnic groups in Pennsylvania, and focusing on Latino teens seems like an open invitation to unnecessary and inaccurate stereotypes about Latino teens.
According to what Collaborating for Youth calls preliminary statistics from a new statewide study, 9 percent of Latino sixth-graders have used alcohol in the last 30 days, compared to 5 percent of the general population of sixth-graders. That certainly seems like a striking statistic, but then the same study seems to show the opposite among eighth-graders. Just 13 percent of the Latino youths drank alcohol in the last 30 days, compared to 19 percent of the general population. Then, among 10th- and 12th-graders the drinking rates are the same, 32 percent and 42 percent.
Collaborating for Youth seems at a loss to explain the inconsistent statistics. Some suggest the lower drinking age in Mexico - 18 - could lead to a higher incidence of drinking among younger Latinos. But that doesn't explain why the statistical trend seems to level out in the later teen years.
There is also some evidence, though, that children are exposed to alcohol earlier in traditional
As the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recently pointed out regarding ethnicity specific programs, "With a burgeoning minority population, it is also essential to better understand these factors to help design and implement the most effective prevention and intervention programs."
A recent nationwide survey indicates about three-fourths of white, American Indian, and Hispanic high school seniors used alcohol in the past year, according to the NIAAA. More than 6 percent of American Indian and 5 percent of Mexican and Cuban American seniors report daily drinking, compared with 1 percent to 3.8 percent for all other groups.
That suggests that heavy drinking among teens is a problem that cuts across race and culture. But the NIAAA also notes there are differences among groups and further scientific study of those specifics might help us understand how to better combat problem drinking in general.
"The limited data on Hispanic and American Indian adults suggest that, among those who drink, there is a tendency toward high average intake per drinking day. Youth survey data suggest that some students establish a pattern of heavy drinking by their senior year of high school," the NIAAA concludes. "Studies of race and ethnicity should be conducted with sufficiently large and diverse samples to allow investigators to assess variations in drinking by national origin or tribal affiliation, acculturation, immigration status, and language."
This kind of research isn't stereotyping. It's good science. And it can help researchers better understand the relative roles of genetics, environment, culture and economics in drinking behavior.
Even more important, this kind of research can help us deal more effectively with alcohol abuse among youths of every ethnicity.