Purpose: The contribution of obesity to morbidity and negative health outcomes, such as cardiovascular heart disease, has been of great interest given the rising rates of obesity in the U.S. Surprisingly, little attention has been focused on the relationship of alcohol use, body weight and obesity even though riskier alcohol use is associated with many of the same negative health outcomes as obesity. While higher levels of alcohol use may have a reduced effect on heavier individuals, at-risk drinking patterns may also serve as ways to cope with physical and mental issues. The purpose of this study is to examine ethnic differences and the relationship of heavier alcohol use (5 or more drinks on one occasion in the last 30 days) and body weight, including obesity (BMI >30).

Methods: Data from this study were obtained from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey; a population-based telephone survey of adult residents of California (N = 42,044). Each respondent was asked the number of days 5 or more drinks of alcohol were consumed in the last 30 days in addition to demographic data including their height and weight. The data were weighted using replicate weights.

Results: The results indicate that the mean number of days consumed 5 or more drinks differs by ethnic group when BMIs of >30 are compared to overweight (25.1-29.9), normal (18.5-24.9) and underweight (<=8.5) groups. For white respondents, elevated risks were associated with obese (0.95 days) and underweight (0.95 days) groups. Latino and Asian respondents manifested a linear relationship between days 5+ drinks and BMI group with the lowest number of 5+ days for underweight (0.71 Latino; 0.42 Asian). The African American respondents had the highest mean number of 5+ days for the normal BMI category (1.04).

Implications: These very different patterns suggest that cultural differences may underlie the relationship of alcohol use and body weight.

Word Count: 307