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Factors associated with alcohol drinking in Puerto Rican adults residing in Boston, Massachusetts

Most research on patterns and predictors of alcohol consumption in the United States (US) comes from studies on the largest subgroups, including Mexican Americans. Little is known about drinking patterns among Puerto Ricans within the US. This study used data from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (n=1504) to evaluate self‐reported drinking frequencies in a sample of Puerto Rican adults (45–75 y). Descriptive analysis and polytomous logistic regression analyses identified factors related to drinking patterns. Heavy drinking (HD) was reported by 15% of men and 4% of women; former drinking (FD), 40% of men and 25% of women; abstention (AB), 8% of men and 40% of women; and moderate drinking (MD), 37% of men and 31% of women. After multivariable adjustment, male HD and AB were significantly younger. Male FD were more likely to use contraindicated medications and have high allostatic load than MD. For women, an association between acculturation and drinking was found for HD but not MD. Among women, HD was associated with language acculturation, lower body mass index (BMI) and no diabetes; AB with age, higher BMI, lower income and less psychological acculturation; and FD with older age, higher BMI and less perceived emotional support. As HD appears to increase with acculturation for women, public health initiatives are needed to support appropriate alcohol use.