February 18, 2010 |
|
Past month alcohol use, binge alcohol use, and illicit drug use remained relatively stable among black adults between 2002 and 2008 (Figure 1).4,5
Trend | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alcohol Use | 44.5% | 42.2% | 41.4% | 45.3% | 44.6% | 43.8% | 46.5% |
Binge Alcohol Use | 23.5% | 21.3% | 20.4% | 22.7% | 21.3% | 21.4% | 22.8% |
Illicit Drug Use | 9.7% | 8.6% | 8.6% | 9.5% | 9.7% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
Source: 2002 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Combined 2004 to 2008 data indicate that, in the past month, 44.3 percent of black adults used alcohol, 21.7 percent reported binge alcohol use, and 9.5 percent used an illicit drug (Figure 2).
Group | Alcohol Use* |
Binge Alcohol Use* |
Illicit Drug Use* |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 44.3% | 21.7% | 9.5% |
National Average | 55.2% | 24.5% | 7.9% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Rates of past month alcohol use and binge alcohol use were lower among black adults than the national averages. The rate of past month illicit drug use among black adults, however, was higher than the national average.
Rates of past month and binge alcohol use were considerably lower among young black adults than the national average of young adults (48.6 vs. 61.1 percent and 25.3 vs. 41.6 percent, respectively) (Figure 3). Past month illicit drug use among young black adults was slightly lower than the national average (18.7 vs. 19.7 percent).
Group | Alcohol Use* |
Binge Alcohol Use* |
Illicit Drug Use* |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 48.6% | 25.3% | 18.7% |
National Average | 61.1% | 41.6% | 19.7% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Older black adults had a rate of past month alcohol use that was considerably lower than the national average of older adults (20.3 vs. 38.3 percent) (Figure 4). Their rates of binge alcohol use and past month illicit drug use, however, did not differ significantly from the national averages.
Group | Alcohol Use* |
Binge Alcohol Use |
Illicit Drug Use |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 20.3% | 7.0% | 1.5% |
National Average | 38.3% | 7.7% | 0.7% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Compared with the national averages, adult black females had lower rates of past month alcohol use and binge alcohol use and a slightly higher rate of past month illicit drug use (Table 1). Patterns varied by age group.
Age Group | Alcohol Use: Blacks |
Alcohol Use: National Average |
Binge Alcohol Use: Blacks |
Binge Alcohol Use: National Average |
Illicit Drug Use: Blacks |
Illicit Drug Use: National Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 36.6%* | 48.5% | 14.4%* | 15.9% | 6.2%* | 5.7% |
Aged 18 to 25 | 44.9%* | 56.9% | 18.6%* | 33.1% | 13.9%* | 15.7% |
Aged 26 to 49 | 43.9%* | 53.7% | 17.7%* | 18.9% | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Aged 50 to 64 | 27.3%* | 46.7% | 10.4% | 8.9% | 2.5% | 2.8% |
Aged 65 or Older | 14.4%* | 31.5% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Among women aged 18 to 44 who were pregnant at the time of the survey interview, blacks had a higher rate of binge alcohol use than the national average (8.1 vs. 3.6 percent) (Figure 5). As for past month alcohol use and past month illicit drug use, the rates appear to have been higher than the national average of pregnant women, but the differences were not statistically significant.
Group | Alcohol Use |
Binge Alcohol Use* |
Illicit Drug Use |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 14.6% | 8.1% | 6.3% |
National Average | 11.2% | 3.6% | 4.0% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Compared with the national averages, adult black males had lower rates of past month alcohol use and binge alcohol use and a slightly higher rate of past month illicit drug use (Table 2). Patterns varied by age group.
Age Group | Alcohol Use: Blacks |
Alcohol Use: National Average |
Binge Alcohol Use: Blacks |
Binge Alcohol Use: National Average |
Illicit Drug Use: Blacks |
Illicit Drug Use: National Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 54.0%* | 62.3% | 30.8%* | 33.8% | 13.7%* | 10.2% |
Aged 18 to 25 | 52.6%* | 65.3% | 32.7%* | 50.0% | 23.9% | 23.8% |
Aged 26 to 49 | 61.5%* | 67.4% | 35.2%* | 39.2% | 14.7%* | 11.2% |
Aged 50 to 64 | 49.7%* | 59.3% | 27.9% | 25.0% | 7.1% | 4.9% |
Aged 65 or Older | 29.8%* | 47.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% | 2.8% | 1.0% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Nearly one fifth of black adults (17.5 percent) were without health insurance, a percentage higher than the national average of 15.0 percent for adults.6
Uninsured blacks were more likely than the national average of uninsured adults to have used illicit drugs in the past month (18.2 vs. 15.1 percent) and less likely to have binged on alcohol in the past month (31.0 vs. 33.1 percent); no statistically significant difference was found between these two groups for past month alcohol use (Figure 6).
Group | Alcohol Use |
Binge Alcohol Use* |
Illicit Drug Use* |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 50.5% | 31.0% | 18.2% |
National Average | 52.3% | 33.1% | 15.1% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Combined 2005 to 2008 data indicate that almost one quarter of black adults (23.3 percent) were living in poverty, a percentage higher than the national average of 11.5 percent.7
The rate of past month illicit drug use among blacks living in poverty was slightly higher than the national average of adults living in poverty (12.9 vs. 11.7 percent); rates of past month alcohol use and binge alcohol use, however, did not differ significantly from the national averages (Figure 7).
Group | Alcohol Use |
Binge Alcohol Use |
Illicit Drug Use* |
---|---|---|---|
Blacks | 38.1% | 23.9% | 12.9% |
National Average | 39.8% | 25.2% | 11.7% |
* The difference between blacks and the national average is statistically significant at p < .05 |
Source: 2004 to 2008 SAMHSA National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). |
Combined 2004 to 2008 data indicate that an estimated 1.9 million black adults—7.7 percent—were classified as being in need of treatment for an alcohol use problem in the past year.8 This rate was similar to the national average of 8.1 percent.
One in seven (14.2 percent) black adults in need of alcohol treatment in the past year (274,000 persons) received it at a specialty facility.9 This rate was higher than the national average of 8.2 percent.
An estimated 1.1 million black adults—or 4.4 percent—were classified as being in need of treatment for an illicit drug use problem in the past year. This rate was higher than the national average of 2.9 percent.
Almost one quarter (24.2 percent) of black adults in need of illicit drug treatment in the past year (267,000 persons) received it at a specialty facility. This rate was higher than the national average of 19.2 percent.
As the Federal Government and States move forward with the interrelated tasks of reducing disparities and reforming health care, it will be vitally important to monitor data on substance use and treatment need among racial/ethnic minorities. The findings in this report highlight variations in substance use and treatment need between black adults and adults in the Nation as a whole and suggest subgroups that may benefit from increased attention from the prevention and treatment systems.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2004 to 2008 data used in this report are based on information obtained from 227,791 persons aged 18 or older, including 25,798 blacks or African Americans. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence. The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.) Information on the most recent NSDUH is available in the following publication: Office of Applied Studies. (2009). Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 09-4434, NSDUH Series H-36). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available online: http://oas.samhsa.gov. |
The NSDUH Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. For questions about this report, please e-mail: shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov.
NSDUH_174 |
This page was last updated on September 29, 2009. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.
* PDF formatted files require that Adobe Acrobat ReaderĀ® program is installed on your computer. Click here to download this FREE software now from Adobe. |