Knowledge, Attitudes, and Malt Liquor Beer Drinking Behavior Among African American Men in South Central Los Angeles

Abstract

Alcohol use continues to be one of the most serious and complex social and health-related problems affecting the African American community today. A review of the literature suggested that African American drink less but suffer from more negative consequences of drinking. Although African Americans are only 14% of the population, they are reported to consume 30% of malt liquor beers. Most surveys which seek to measure alcohol consumption patterns for African American men refer to questions related to mainstream alcohol types. For African American men, the literature has not addressed these phenomena nor adequately provided a culturally specific theoretical framework by which to start addressing these issues. The present study uses an Africentric perspective based on the Association of Black Psychologist Behavioral Change Model (Nobels, et.al. 1998) to provide the conceptual framework for understanding the influence that age, level of education, and employment status have on African American men's knowledge, attitudes and malt liquor beer drinking behavior.