Binge Drinking More Prevalent in Students With Minoritized Sexual and Gender Identities; Trends Also Vary by Race, Ethnicity, Study Finds

Students in California with minoritized sexual and gender identities reported significantly more experience with binge drinking compared with heterosexual and cisgender peers, and the disparities were evident by 6th-8th grades, according to a study published in the September Pediatrics. The study,  “Binge Drinking Disparities by Grade, Race and Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,” published online Aug. 6, drew data from 925,744 students in grades 6-12 who participated in the 2017-2019 California Healthy Kids Survey. Researchers reported grade-specific prevalence rates of past 30-day binge drinking by grade, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation or gender identity. Students voluntarily completed anonymous surveys and responded to the question, “During the past 30 days, on how many days did you use five or more drinks of alcohol within a couple of hours?” In all, 4.9% of students reported past 30-day binge drinking, with variability in binge drinking among subgroups of students at distinct intersections of grade, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, among Black and Hispanic/Latino students, transgender 11th-12th grade students had higher predicted probabilities of binge drinking than cisgender students in 11th-12th grades. Adolescents who binge drink are at higher risk of adverse health outcomes, including risky sexual behaviors, physical and sexual violence, and unintentional injuries. The authors recommend developmentally and culturally appropriate prevention and intervention strategies focused on decreasing minority stress to reduce disparities. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.