Health - Drug Abuse Among Minority Populations

In 2001, 67.7 percent of non-Hispanic white Americans aged eighteen and over reported that they had consumed alcohol within the past month, compared to 51.5 percent of Native Americans/Alaska Natives, 49.8 percent of Hispanics, 46.5 percent of non-Hispanic African-Americans, and 44.7 percent of Asians. (See Table 6.10.) In terms of binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks on one occasion in at least one day in the previous month, Native Americans and Alaska Natives had the greatest percentage, with 34.6, followed by Hispanics with 32.2

TABLE 6.6
Dental visits in the past year according to selected characteristics: Selected years 1997–2001
[Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population]

	2 years of age and over1			2–17 years of age			18–64 years of age			65 years of age and over2
Characteristic	1997	1999	2001	1997	1999	2001	1997	1999	2001	1997	1999	2001
	Percent of persons with a dental visit in the past year3
Total4	64.9	65.2	65.6	72.7	72.6	73.3	64.1	64.6	64.6	54.8	55.0	56.3
Sex
Male	62.6	62.5	62.6	72.3	72.3	72.7	60.4	60.4	60.2	55.4	54.7	56.1
Female	67.2	67.8	68.5	73.0	72.8	73.9	67.7	68.5	68.9	54.4	55.2	56.5
Race5
White only	66.5	67.2	67.4	74.0	74.5	74.9	65.7	66.6	66.6	56.8	56.8	58.5
Black or African American only	56.5	56.2	56.9	68.8	67.6	68.0	57.0	55.8	57.2	35.4	39.7	37.5
American Indian and Alaska Native only	51.5	56.2	53.9	66.8	58.2	72.9	49.9	55.2	47.7	*	*50.6	*50.7
Asian only	61.8	63.6	64.9	69.9	69.6	74.4	60.3	63.1	64.3	53.9	53.2	53.4
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander only	- - -	*	*	- - -	*	*	- - -	*	*	- - -	*	*
2 or more races	- - -	58.6	56.3	- - -	73.0	69.3	- - -	57.8	57.1	- - -	*35.1	*34.5
Black or African American; White	- - -	63.7	52.7	- - -	68.7	57.6	- - -	58.8	55.5	- - -	*	*
American Indian and Alaska Native; White	- - -	55.8	58.7	- - -	70.3	79.2	- - -	53.5	53.6	- - -	*	*39.0
Hispanic origin and race5
Hispanic or Latino	52.9	52.3	51.2	61.0	59.3	60.5	50.8	50.6	49.2	47.8	44.0	42.6
Not Hispanic or Latino	66.4	66.9	67.5	74.7	74.9	75.8	65.7	66.3	66.7	55.2	55.6	57.2
White only	68.2	68.9	69.6	76.4	77.0	77.8	67.5	68.3	68.7	57.2	57.3	59.4
Black or African American only	56.5	56.1	56.9	68.8	67.7	68.1	56.9	55.7	57.1	35.3	39.6	37.6
Poverty status6
Poor	47.2	46.2	47.0	62.0	57.8	61.0	46.4	46.0	45.8	30.3	31.9	30.6
Near poor	48.9	48.5	49.7	61.6	61.6	63.2	46.4	46.1	46.9	39.6	38.9	40.0
Nonpoor	72.3	72.0	72.0	79.7	79.9	79.3	71.1	70.8	70.5	66.3	64.4	67.0
Hispanic origin and race and poverty status5,6
Hispanic or Latino:
Poor	41.9	41.5	38.7	56.8	49.6	54.2	39.0	39.7	35.1	33.0	32.1	29.8
Near poor	46.2	43.8	43.2	54.1	54.0	59.2	42.6	41.0	39.8	49.2	34.8	30.6
Nonpoor	65.1	63.8	64.4	74.8	72.0	71.1	62.5	62.0	62.8	56.5	58.9	60.8
Not Hispanic or Latino:
White only:
Poor	49.9	49.8	51.5	63.3	62.6	62.9	50.3	50.6	52.1	31.1	31.9	32.3
Near poor	51.0	50.2	52.9	64.8	63.2	64.4	48.2	48.0	51.0	41.2	39.6	42.1
Nonpoor	73.6	73.6	73.7	80.7	81.8	81.7	72.5	72.4	72.0	67.6	65.4	68.6
Black or African American only:
Poor	46.7	44.9	45.1	66.7	61.0	63.2	44.5	42.1	42.9	26.2	33.5	25.2
Near poor	44.9	47.6	47.3	60.1	66.3	64.2	44.7	45.2	44.9	23.6	30.9	33.4
Nonpoor	65.4	64.2	64.1	75.5	72.7	72.4	66.2	64.7	65.4	48.9	51.5	46.1

percent, non-Hispanic whites with 32 percent, Asians with 23.2 percent, and non-Hispanic African-Americans with 20.5 percent. (See Table 6.10.)

Illicit Drug Use

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), illicit drugs include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens (including LSD and PCP), inhalants, or any prescription-type psychotherapeutic drug used nonmedically. In 2001, 7.4 percent of non-Hispanic African-Americans over the age of twelve had used an illicit drug in the past month. Among non-Hispanic whites, the percentage was 7.2 percent, for Hispanics it was 6.4 percent, and Asians just 2.8 percent. On the other hand, 7.5 percent of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders and 9.9 percent of Native Americans and Alaska Natives reported use of an illicit drug. (See Table 6.11.)

MARIJUANA USE.

In 2001, 5.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic African-Americans over the age of twelve and 4.2 percent of Hispanics reported that they had smoked marijuana in the past month. Only 1.7 percent of Asians over the age of twelve said they had smoked marijuana in the past month. On the other extreme, 7.1 percent of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and 8 percent of Native Americans and Alaska Natives reported marijuana use. (See Table 6.11.)