Problem
Read the article below and answer the questions below the article please?
In general, the developmental trend of alcohol consumption for Americans is a rapid rise in the frequency of drinking and the quantity consumed as one transitions through adolescence that tends to peak in early adulthood and gradually declines with increased age (e.g., Johnson, Gruenewald, Treno, & Taff, 1998). Increased consumption during adolescence is thought to be a function of experimentation with adult behaviors (Shedler & Block, 1990), peer influence to consume, and the desire to conform or fit in with one's social network (Bray, Adams, Getz, & McQueen, 2003; Duncan, Duncan, & Strycker, 2006; Jones, Hussong, Manning, & Sterrett, 2008; Kogan, Berkel, Chen, Brody, & Murry, 2005). As individuals transition into adulthood, they experience new levels of freedom and independence (Schulenberg, O'Malley, Bachman, Wadsworth, & Johnston, 1996), which places them at increased risk for engaging in risky behaviors, such as alcohol use. As individuals move through their 20's, the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption tends to decrease. This change has been attributed to the increased responsibilities typically associated with adulthood, including marriage, parental, and work-related responsibilities (e.g., Donovan, Jessor, & Jessor, 1983; Jackson, Sher, Gotham, & Wood, 2001). However, much of the research presented to date has been conducted with predominantly European American samples, thus raising the question of whether this developmental trend holds for other ethnic minority groups, including African Americans.
Interestingly, developmental trends in drinking behaviors and levels of use have been shown to differ substantially between African Americans and European Americans (refer to Table 1 for a listing of studies reviewed). In comparison to their European American counterparts, African American youth report lower levels of use (Bachman et al., 1991; Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 1994; O'Malley, Johnston, & Bachman, 2008; Poulin, 1991; Wallace et al., 2003a; Wallace, Brown, Bachman, & LaVeist, 2003b), begin drinking at a later age (Catalano et al., 1993; Johnson, Richter, Kleber, McLellan, & Carise, 2005; Watt, 2004), engage in less heavy drinking (Bachman et al., 1991; Wallace et al., 2003a), and show slower increases in rates of drinking in the early adolescent years (Johston et al., 1994; Warheit, Vega, Khoury, Gil, & Elfenbein, 1996) Based on a national survey that was given to youth aged 12-17, 18% of European Americans compared to 10% of African American youth reported using alcohol in the past 30 days. Moreover, 42% of European Americans compared to only 34% of African Americans reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in their lifetime (SAMHSA, 2010). African American youth also report higher rates of abstinence compared to European American youth (Bachman et al., 1991; SAMHSA, 2010, 2011; Wallace et al., 2003b). During young adulthood, the increase in drinking that has been shown among European American populations has also been observed among African American populations; however, rates of use and heavy drinking are significantly lower among African American young adults than among their European American peers (Caetano & Clark, 1998a; Meilman, Presley, & Cashin, 1995; Meliman, Presley, & Lyerla, 1994; Peralta & Steele, 2009; Siebert & Wilke, 2007; Strada & Donohue, 2006). Based on a national survey administered to individuals aged 18 to 25, compared to European Americans, African Americans were less likely to report being a current drinker (49.6% versus 67.7%) binge drinker (27.9% versus 46.1%), or heavy drinker (5.7% versus 17.3%; SAMHSA, 2011). Specifically related to college students, Meilman et al. (1995) and Meilman et al. (1994) found that African American college students drank less and binge drank less often than European American students regardless of whether they attended predominately European American or African American universities. Moreover, Globetti and colleagues (1996) found that among their sample of college students, approximately 60% of European American students reported that they attended parties where most or all of the time, the majority were intoxicated and nearly 36% of these students reported getting high on alcohol themselves, compared to 33% and 5%, respectively, for African American students.
Differences in developmental patterns appear to continue into adulthood. Based on a national survey administered to individuals ages 26-70, compared to European Americans, African Americans were less likely to report being a current drinker, to have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, (46.6% versus 59.4%), a be a binge drinker (20.5% versus 22.2%), or to be a heavy drinker (4.9 % versus 6.9%; SAMHSA, 2011). In a variety of studies using different sampling methods, African American adults (Caetano, 2003; Caetano & Clark, 1998a; Caetano, Clark, & Tam, 1998; Lillie-Blanton, MacKenzi, & Anthony, 1991; SAMHSA, 2010, 2011) consistently report higher rates of abstaining from alcohol than is true for European Americans. Thus, among both nationally representative samples, as well as smaller, community based convenience samples, there is a robust overall group finding of lower rates of alcohol consumption and higher rates of abstinence among African Americans compared to European Americans across development. Moreover, these findings remained consistent, showing lower rates of drinking among African Americans, regardless of the methodology used in defining alcohol consumption (i.e., current drinker, drinking in past 30 days, lifetime, heavy alcohol use, or binge alcohol use).
A. What was the main idea of the article?
B. What is an important quote from the article that stood out?
C. Why was this quote important?
D. What is the most important thing that people should understand about this article?