SURVEY TITLE: National Alcohol Survey
ACRONYM: NAS
SPONSOR: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), United States
Department of Health and Human Services, AND the Alcohol Research Group.
SURVEY PURPOSE: The Year 2000 NAS focused on drinking patterns and alcohol problems in the general population and among African Americans and Hispanics.
LOCATION SAMPLED: Designed to be a representative sample of the United States Population.
YEARS SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTED: 2000.
SAMPLE SIZE: 7,612.
METHOD OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTION: Computer Assisted Telephone Interview.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS:
2000:
"Which of the following statements best describes your sexual orientation? Heterosexual, that is, ‘straight,’ or prefer to have sex with people of the opposite sex; Bisexual, that is, prefer to have sex with people of either sex; or Homosexual, that is, gay or lesbian, or prefer to have sex with people of your own sex."
AND
"Thinking of the last five years, that is since (SEASON) of (YEAR), has the partner or partners in your sexual relationships been: Only men, Mostly men, About the same number of men and women, Mostly women, Only women, or Have you not had a sexual relationship in the last five years?”
RESULTS:
DATA ACCESS: www.arg.org/address.html
ACRONYM: NAS
SPONSOR: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), United States
Department of Health and Human Services, AND the Alcohol Research Group.
SURVEY PURPOSE: The Year 2000 NAS focused on drinking patterns and alcohol problems in the general population and among African Americans and Hispanics.
LOCATION SAMPLED: Designed to be a representative sample of the United States Population.
YEARS SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTED: 2000.
SAMPLE SIZE: 7,612.
METHOD OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DATA COLLECTION: Computer Assisted Telephone Interview.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS:
2000:
"Which of the following statements best describes your sexual orientation? Heterosexual, that is, ‘straight,’ or prefer to have sex with people of the opposite sex; Bisexual, that is, prefer to have sex with people of either sex; or Homosexual, that is, gay or lesbian, or prefer to have sex with people of your own sex."
AND
"Thinking of the last five years, that is since (SEASON) of (YEAR), has the partner or partners in your sexual relationships been: Only men, Mostly men, About the same number of men and women, Mostly women, Only women, or Have you not had a sexual relationship in the last five years?”
RESULTS:
- Drabble L, Midanik LT, Trocki K. Reports of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual respondents: results from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey. J Stud Alcohol. 2005 Jan;66(1):111-20. OBJECTIVE: Few population-based studies have explored differences in alcohol consumption by sexual orientation. This study examined the prevalence of abstinence, drinking, heavier drinking, alcohol-related problems, alcohol dependence and help-seeking among homosexual and bisexual women and men compared with heterosexuals. METHOD: Data are from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey, a national population-based survey of adults (N = 7,612), a Random Digit Dialing telephone survey of all 50 states of the United States and Washington, DC. Four categories of sexual orientation were created using questions on both sexual orientation self-identification and behavior: homosexual identified, bisexual identified, heterosexual identified with same sex partners and exclusively heterosexual. Five alcohol measures (past year) were used in the analyses: (1) mean number of drinks, (2) days consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion, (3) drunkenness, (4) negative social consequences (2 or more) and (5) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, alcohol dependence. A lifetime measure of help-seeking for an alcohol problem was also analyzed. RESULTS: Few significant differences were found among men by sexual orientation. By contrast, both lesbians and bisexual women had lower abstention rates and significantly greater odds of reporting alcohol-related social consequences, alcohol dependence and past help-seeking for an alcohol problem. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that alcohol dependence and alcohol-related consequences differ by sexual orientation, particularly among women. These findings also emphasize the need for the inclusion of sexual-orientation items in population-based surveys so that prevalence rates within these subgroups can be effectively monitored.
- Trocki KF, Drabble L, Midanik L. Use of heavier drinking contexts among heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals: results from a National Household Probability Survey. J Stud Alcohol. 2005 Jan;66(1):105-10. OBJECTIVE: Extensive use of specific social contexts (bars and parties, for instance) by homosexuals and bisexuals is thought to be a factor in the higher rates of drinking among these groups. However, much of the empirical evidence behind these assumptions has been based on studies with methodological or sampling shortcomings. This article examines the epidemiological patterns of alcohol contexts in relation to sexual identity, using a large, national, probability population survey. METHOD: We used the 2000 National Alcohol Survey for these analyses. The prevalence of spending leisure time in each of two social contexts (bars and parties) that are associated with heavier drinking is examined by sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and self-identified heterosexuals with same sex partners). In addition, we compare levels of drinking within these contexts by sexual orientation within these groups. RESULTS: Exclusively heterosexual women spent less time in these two contexts relative to all other groups of women. Gay men spent considerably more time in bars compared with the other groups of men. Heterosexual women who reported same sex partners drink more at bars, and bisexual women drink more alcohol at both bars and parties than exclusively heterosexual women. For men, there were no significant differences for average consumption in any of these contexts. Entry of background and demographic variables into logistic regression analyses did little to modify these associations. CONCLUSIONS: There is empirical evidence that some groups of homosexual and bisexual women and men spend more time than heterosexual individuals in heavier drinking contexts. The frequency of being in these two social contexts does not appear to be associated with heavier drinking within these contexts for men, but it may be related to heavier drinking in those places among some groups of women.
DATA ACCESS: www.arg.org/address.html