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Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Clinically Recognized Alcohol Use Disorders Among Patients from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration
Author(s) -
Williams Emily C.,
Gupta Shalini,
Rubinsky Anna D.,
JonesWebb Rhonda,
Bensley Kara M.,
Young Jessica P.,
Hagedorn Hildi,
Gifford Elizabeth,
Harris Alex H. S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12950
Subject(s) - ethnic group , medicine , demography , alcohol use disorder , health care , gerontology , alcohol , anthropology , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology , economic growth
Background Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common and have worse consequences for racial/ethnic minority groups than whites. AUDs are often underrecognized in clinical settings, but it is unknown whether the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD varies across racial/ethnic groups. We describe the overall and age‐ and gender‐stratified prevalence of clinically documented AUD across 3 racial/ethnic groups in a national sample of Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients. Methods Data from VA's National Patient Care Database identified all patients who used VA care in Fiscal Year 2012 and were documented as black, Hispanic, or white race/ethnicity. The prevalence of clinically recognized AUD based on ICD‐9 diagnoses was compared across racial/ethnic groups overall and within gender and age groups using chi‐square tests of independence. Results Among 4,666,403 eligible patients, 810,902 (17.4%) were black, 302,331 (6.5%) were Hispanic, and 3,553,170 (76.1%) were white. The prevalence of clinically recognized AUD was 6.5% overall, and 9.8% (95% CI 9.8 to 9.9) among black, 7.1% (95% CI 7.0 to 7.2) among Hispanic, and 5.7% (95% CI 5.6 to 5.7) among white patients ( p < 0.001). This pattern generally held for men, regardless of age group, with the exception of those 18 to 29 years old, for whom no difference was observed across race/ethnicity. Among women, the prevalence of AUD was generally lowest among Hispanic and highest among black patients, with the exception of those 30 to 44 years old, for whom the highest prevalence was among whites. Conclusions In contrast to findings from the general population, the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD among VA patients is generally highest among black men and women and lowest among white men and Hispanic women. This is the first study to describe the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD across racial/ethnic groups in a large healthcare system. Future research comparing estimates to diagnoses based on structured gold‐standard assessments is needed to understand whether AUDs are under‐ or overidentified.