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ALCOHOL MISUSE
In 2001, 13.4 percent of females and 28.2 percent of
males aged 12 and older reported binge alcohol use in the
past
month, defined as having five or more drinks on the same
occasion at least once in the month prior to the survey.
Additionally, 2.6 percent of females and 9.2 percent of
males 12 years and older reported heavy alcohol use in
the past
month, defined as having five or more drinks on the same
occasion on five or more days within the month prior to
the survey.
Alcohol misuse appears higher among young adult
women than among their younger and older counterparts.
Among women
18-25 years old in 2001, 29.2 percent reported binge
drinking in
the past month, and 7.7 percent of women in this age
group reported drinking heavily. Females in other age groups
reported lower rates of both binge and heavy drinking.
After age 25,
binge and heavy alcohol consumption declined significantly
for both males and females. Among women aged 15-44 who were not pregnant, non-Hispanic
White and American Indian/Alaska Native women were the
most likely to be binge drinkers (22.7 percent and 21.4
percent, respectively) compared to other racial/ethnic
groups. Non-Hispanic White women were also the most likely
to engage in binge alcohol use during pregnancy. Drinking
alcohol during pregnancy contributes to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
(FAS), infant low birth weight, and developmental delays
in children.
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