higher education was associated with greater level of HED at age 12 but less HED as age increased yearly. These findings suggest that higher levels of parental education is a protective factor for not engaging in HED among Caucasian adolescents but a risk factor for Caucasian youth who are already engaging in HED. We also found that access to alcohol at home was associated with greater levels of HED at age 12 years for African American children but not Caucasian children. Conversely, access to alcohol at home was associated with an increase in level of HED as age increased yearly for Caucasians but not African Americans. African American youth had little room to expand their HED over time. These findings partially support the scant literature on home alcohol availability that has suggested an association exists between access to alcohol and early initiation of alcohol use and later drinking problems (Jackson, Henriksen, & Dickinson, 1999; Komro, Maldonado-Molina, Tobler, Bonds, & Muller, 2007). Intervention efforts should encourage parents to restrict their children’s access to alcohol, discuss their expectations regarding alcohol use with their children, and assess compliance. Future research should explore racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between children’s perceived and actual access
