Drinking patterns and alcohol service provision for different ethnic groups in the UK: a review of the literature

Abstract

This paper reports drinking patterns among minority ethnic groups from the UK literature over the past 15 years, and considers the evidence for service provision and support. Findings show that drinking remains low among minority ethnic groups, though with evidence of increases in consumption, particularly among Indian women and Chinese men. South Asian men, particularly Sikh men, are over‐represented for liver cirrhosis, and some ethnic groups have higher than national average alcohol‐related deaths. People from black and minority ethnic backgrounds have similar rates of alcohol dependency as the white population; however services do not appear to be responsive enough to the needs of minority ethnic groups as they are under‐represented in seeking treatment and advice for drinking problems. Help‐seeking preferences vary for drinking problems between and within groups suggesting that drinking problems need to be addressed within both mainstream and specialist services. Greater understanding of cultural issues is needed in the development of alcohol services in mainstream and specialist settings.

Citation

Bayley, M. and Hurcombe, R. (2010), "Drinking patterns and alcohol service provision for different ethnic groups in the UK: a review of the literature", Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 6-17. https://doi.org/10.5042/eihsc.2011.0073