ALCOHOL ABUSE LESS COMMON AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alcohol abuse among Native American men may be
less of a problem than previously believed, survey findings indicate.

The results, presented at a recent meeting of the American Public Health
Association (news - web sites), show that middle-aged American Indian and
Alaska Native men reported lower levels of chronic drinking than
non-Hispanic white men in the same age group.

However, Dr. Clark H. Denny, the study's lead author, pointed out that the
study may have excluded groups of Native Americans who abuse alcohol the most.

"If true, (the findings) dispel myths that American Indians drink more than
the general population. But it's also true that a small group of American
Indians abuse alcohol greatly," said Denny, from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (news - web sites) in Atlanta, Georgia, in an interview.

He said these individuals may not have been included in the study because
they do not have a telephone or do not answer the phone. Also, survey
questions may not have focused on the effects of heavy drinking such as
blackouts, hospitalizations and arrests.

According to findings, American Indian and Alaska Native men aged 45 and
older reported a chronic drinking rate of 3.5% compared with 7.6% for
non-Hispanic white men the same age.

American Indians and Alaska Natives of all ages were less likely than
whites to report that they currently drank.

And rates of chronic drinking were similar among younger Native American
and white men, conclude Denny and co-author Dr. Timothy L. Taylor.

Chronic drinking was defined as consuming 60 drinks in a 1-month period, or
an average of two drinks a day.