Prevalence of Substance Use
Among Racial/Ethnic Subgroups
in the United States, 1991-1993

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Analysis of 1991-1993 data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) shows that there are disparities in levels of illicit drug, alcohol and tobacco use among the 11 racial/ethnic subgroups that make up the total U.S. population. According to the report, Prevalence of Substance Use Among Racial/Ethnic Subgroups in the United States, 1991-1993, social, demographic and economic differences apparently influence substance use prevalences among the 11 U.S. population subgroups.

Purpose of this Report: Based on data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), this report provides the first national estimates of illicit drug use, alcohol abuse and dependence, tobacco use, and need of illicit drug abuse treatment for Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Caribbean Americans, Central Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, South Americans, and other Hispanic Americans. Earlier NHSDA reports had combined all seven Hispanic subgroups into the category, "Hispanics." The category "Other" in prior reports had included both Native Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Understanding racial/ethnic patterns of substance use is essential to appropriate and effective policy making and allocation of resources for substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Subgroup Comparisons: Relative to the total U.S. population (age 12 and older), Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and African Americans exhibit higher prevalences of illicit drug use, heavy cigarette use, alcohol dependence, and need for illicit drug abuse treatment, while Asian/Pacific Islanders, Caribbean Americans, Central Americans, and Cuban Americans have lower prevalences. For example, the percentage of individuals (age 12 and older) using any illicit drug in the past year equals: about 20 percent among Native Americans; 13 percent among Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and African Americans; and eight percent or less among Asian/Pacific Islanders, Caribbean Americans, Central Americans, and Cuban Americans. About 12 percent of the total NHSDA population surveyed reported use of any illicit drug.

Hispanic Americans: The seven Hispanic American subgroups vary significantly in their prevalences of substance use, alcohol dependence, and the need for illicit drug abuse treatment. Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, for example, exhibit high prevalences of illicit drug use (including marijuana, cocaine and other illicit drugs), heavy alcohol use, alcohol dependence and need for illicit drug abuse treatment. Caribbean Americans, Central Americans and Cuban Americans, however, have lower prevalences. South Americans and other Hispanic Americans reported prevalences close to those of the total U.S. Population.

Any Illicit Drug Use (past year, age 12 and older): Prevalence of any illicit drug use for the total U.S. population was 11.9 percent. Native Americans (Americans Indians and Alaska Natives) exhibited a higher prevalence of illicit drug use, 19.8 percent. Rates of prevalence exhibited by other subgroups are: Puerto Ricans (13.3%), African Americans (13.1), Mexican Americans (12.7%), Caucasians (11.8%), South Americans (10.7), other Hispanic Americans (10.6%), Cuban Americans (8.2%), Caribbean Americans (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islanders (6.5%), and Central Americans (5.7%).

Marijuana Use (past year, age 12 and older): Again, Native Americans were highest among the 11 subgroups in exhibiting prevalence of marijuana use, 15 percent. Ranked in descending order of prevalence other subgroups reported: Puerto Ricans (10.8%), African Americans (10.6%), other Hispanic Americans ((9.1%), Mexican Americans (9.1%), Caucasians (8.9%), South Americans (8.4%), Cuban Americans (5.9%), Caribbean Americans (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islanders (4.7%), and Central Americans (2.7%). Prevalence of the total U.S. population was estimated at 9.0 percent.

Need Drug Abuse Treatment (age 12 and older): Prevalence of needing Drug Abuse Treatment among Native Americans was estimated at 7.8 percent. Prevalences of other subgroups were: African Americans (3.9%), Puerto Ricans (3.7%), Mexican Americans (3.6%), other Hispanic Americans (3.4%), Cuban Americans (2.6%), Caucasians (2.5%), South Americans (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islanders (1.7%), Caribbean Americans (1.6%), and Central Americans (1.5%). Prevalence of needing drug abuse treatment in the total U.S. population was estimated at 2.7 percent.

Heavy Alcohol Use (age 12 and older and past-month experience): Mexican Americans (6.9%); Caucasians (5.3%); other Hispanic Americans (4.9%); African Americans (4.7); Native Americans (4.6%); Puerto Ricans (4.0%); South Americans (3.0); Cuban Americans (2.8%); Caribbean Americans (2.5%); Central Americans (2.2%); and Asian/Pacific Islanders 0.9%). Prevalence of the total U.S. population was estimated at 5.1 percent.

Cigarette Use (past year, age 12 and older): Rankings for cigarette use in the past year, age 12 and older, were: Native Americans (52.7%); Puerto Ricans (32.7%); Caucasians (31.5%); South Americans (31.3%); African Americans (29.9%); Mexican Americans (29.1%); Cuban Americans (27.3%); other Hispanic Americans (25.9%); Asian/Pacific Islanders (21.7%); Caribbean Americans (21.2%); and Central Americans (17.9%). Prevalence of cigarette use in the total U.S. population was estimated at 30.9 percent.

Additional Major Findings: This report provides further evidence that substance abuse is a major health problem affecting all 11 racial/ethnic subgroups in the United States. Further, the report suggests that social, demographic and economic differences among the subgroups to some extent influence levels of prevalence of substance use, alcohol abuse and dependence, and the need for drug abuse treatment:

• Compared to the total U.S. population, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and African Americans have higher prevalences of illicit drug use, heavy cigarette use, alcohol dependence, and need for illicit drug abuse treatment. Asian/Pacific Islanders, Caribbean Americans, Central Americans, and Cuban Americans exhibit lower prevalences.

• Regardless of racial/ethnic subgroup, individuals residing in the West or in metropolitan areas with populations greater than one million have relatively high prevalences of illicit drug use. Characteristics of these individuals include: lack of health insurance; unemployed; no more than nine to 11 years of school; and never having married.

• Regardless of racial/ethnic subgroup, adolescents who dropped out of school or who reside in households with fewer than two biological parents have relatively high prevalences of cigarette, alcohol and illicit drug use.

• Further study is needed to determine how racial/ethnic differences affect substance use behavior at each stage of individual and familial life cycles.

• Surveys of high-risk individuals will be needed to find out how racial/ethnic differences interact with other factors associated with drug use, such as broken families, deviant peer groups, and dropping out of school at an early age.

Basis of Findings: This report combines data from three large national surveys, the 1991, 1992 and 1993 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), to estimate the levels of substance use, alcohol dependence, and need for illicit drug abuse treatment within 11 racial/ethnic groups. These groups include Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, African Americans, non-Hispanic whites, and seven subgroups of Hispanic Americans: Caribbean Americans, Central Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, South Americans and other Hispanic Americans. Data from the 1991, 1992 and 1993 NHSDA surveys were used because six metropolitan areas were over-sampled in those years and combining the three years of data provided more than 87,000 survey respondents. A large urban sample size is needed to obtain satisfactorily precise estimates of drug use prevalence in racial/ethnic subgroups that are small relative to the total U.S. population.

Prevalence of Substance Use Among Racial and Ethnic Subgroups in the United States, 1991-1993, may be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686 or at (http://www.samhsa.gov).

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government’s lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.