Chunk #52 — Explanations for Greater Negative Social Consequences of Alcohol Use among African Americans Compared to European Americans — Alcohol Preference and Content
Another possibility is that African Americans may be more likely to underestimate the amount of alcohol they consume, thus indicating a lower level of consumption than is actually the case (Kaskutas & Graves, 2000; Kerr, Patterson, & Greenfield, 2009). For example, Kerr and colleagues (2009) found when examining the type, quantity, and frequency of alcohol consumption based on ethnicity and sex, African American men were the most likely to underestimate their intake, by 31%, and had the largest overall mean drink alcohol content at 0.79 oz of alcohol, compared to 0.66 oz for the European American men sampled. The authors speculated that the higher alcohol content in African Americans’ drinks may partially explain the higher rate of alcohol problems found in this group compared to their European American counterparts. This proposed explanation also merits further empirical investigation.
