Researchers: Camillia K. Lui, PhD, Nina Mulia, DrPH Understanding the complex interplay between mental health, substance use, and identity among adolescents is crucial for effective prevention and intervention. Recent research highlights significant disparities in suicidal ideation, substance use, and mental health risks among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth, as well as other racial and ethnic groups. While certain subgroups face heightened risks, broad data … [Read more...]
New Findings
How Flawed Science Could Shape U.S. Alcohol Guidelines
Why NASEM's approach to assessing alcohol risks deserves a closer look With updated US dietary guidelines being developed, a group of leading alcohol and public health researchers is urging caution about how we interpret data on drinking and health. In a recent commentary in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, researchers argue that many of the studies and approaches used to inform drinking guidelines, including those cited and employed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and … [Read more...]
New Study Reveals Why Alcohol Use Increased During the Pandemic
PRESS RELEASE Shifting alcohol availability, accessibility, and coping strategies drove higher consumption A new study published today in PLOS One uncovers key social and environmental factors that drove a significant rise in alcohol consumption during COVID-19. Researchers from the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, found that increased alcohol availability and accessibility, and drinking as a coping mechanism, played a major role in shaping drinking … [Read more...]
When Health and Alcohol Mix: Insights on High-Risk Drinking
Researchers: Won Kim Cook, PhD, Christina Tam, PhD, Camillia Lui, PhD, Thomas K. Greenfield, PhD, William C. Kerr, PhD Excessive alcohol consumption remains a critical public health issue, particularly among individuals with chronic health conditions. While heavy drinking and high-intensity drinking (HID) are well-documented concerns, their relationship with multimorbidity, that is managing multiple chronic illnesses, adds another layer of complexity to understanding alcohol-related risks. Our … [Read more...]
The Impact of Discrimination on Alcohol Use Varies Across Different Groups
A new study in Addictive Behaviors Reports applied an intersectional lens to explore the impact of discrimination on same day drinking patterns among sexual minority populations and uncovered significant differences between groups shaped by intersecting identities such as race, sex, and sexual orientation. The research team conducted a daily diary survey with self-identified sexual minorities, defined as individuals whose sexual identity differed from the majority orientation of people (e.g., … [Read more...]
Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Increase Health Risks, New Report Reveals
Emeryville, CA –The recently released Alcohol Intake and Health Study finds that even low levels of drinking raise the risk of cancer and death. Conducted by a scientific review panel under the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), the study includes contributions from Priscilla Martinez, PhD, Deputy Scientific Director and Scientist at the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute. Key Findings Risks far outweigh the … [Read more...]
Millions of Americans Hurt By Others’ Drinking, Drug Use: Study
by Amy Norton PISCATAWAY, NJ – The risks of alcohol and other drug consumption to the user are well known, but many Americans—nearly 160 million—say they’ve been harmed by someone else’s substance use, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In a national survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that 34% said they’d ever suffered “secondhand harm” from someone else’s alcohol use—ranging from marriage and family problems to financial fall-out to being … [Read more...]
Alcohol Consumption Trends Across Disadvantaged Populations
Results from new US study suggest beverage-specific policies could help mitigate alcohol-related health risks among vulnerable populations A recent U.S. study is the first to identify alcoholic beverage preferences among demographic subpopulations who face heightened alcohol-related health risks, including those with lower socioeconomic status (SES), minoritized groups, and heavy drinkers. Published in Drug and Alcohol Review, the study analyzed a sample of over 37,000 adults who … [Read more...]
Socioeconomic status may determine how alcohol affects heart health
New research reveals that alcohol's association with heart disease mortality differs across socioeconomic groups A new study led by researchers at the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, is the first U.S. study to examine how a person's socioeconomic status (SES) modifies the relationship between alcohol consumption and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death in the U.S., with IHD being a significant … [Read more...]
Alcohol and Drug Use Cause Significant Harms that Go Beyond the Individual
Among study respondents, 34.2% experienced secondhand harms from alcohol, 5.5% from cannabis, 7.6% from opioids, and 8.3% from other drugs. Press Release: A new study estimates that over their lifetime, more than a third of U.S. adults or 113 million people are harmed from someone else’s drinking while 46 million experience harms from someone’s else’s drug use. The study, conducted by the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, in collaboration with RTI … [Read more...]
