Sznitman Sharon R, Bord Shiran, Elias Wafa, Gesser-Edelsburg Anat, Shiftan Yoram, Baron-Epel Orna
a School of Public Health , University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.
Ethn Health. 2015;20(6):594-610. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2014.961411. Epub 2014 Sep 26.
Worldwide there is a dearth of studies examining drinking patterns in Arabs and how these compare to other populations. The few studies that exist have suggested distinct drinking patterns in Arabs, with not only high rates of abstinence but also high rates of heavy drinking among current drinkers. No studies have yet examined potential socio-cognitive mechanisms that may contribute to this distinct drinking pattern. Israel represents a unique and valuable resource for studying Arab population drinking patterns because Israeli Arabs are nonimmigrants living in areas where exposure to Western lifestyles, including alcohol consumption, is prevalent. The current study was set out to examine differences in alcohol consumption in a convenience sample of 1310 Jewish and Arab students from Israeli universities and colleges and to explore alcohol expectancies as potential mediators of ethno-religious differences.
Logistic regressions were used to produce odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to test differences between Jewish and Arab students on binary outcomes (lifetime, last month, and heavy drinking). Mediation of ethno-religious differences by alcohol expectancies was tested with bootstrapping procedures.
Results show that while Israeli Arab students tend to be more likely to abstain from alcohol than Israeli Jewish students, among current drinkers, Israeli Arab students are at a particular high risk of heavy drinking. Results also show that this is partly mediated by the expectancy that alcohol only influences the drinker at high levels of intake.
The current study confirms distinct Arab drinking patterns found in previous studies. The present study is the first demonstration that drinking expectations mediate ethno-religious differences in heavy drinking among Israeli Arabs and Jews. This work contributes to the understanding of ethno-religious group differences in harmful drinking, potentially informing future etiologic research and public health interventions aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm.
在全球范围内，针对阿拉伯人饮酒模式以及这些模式与其他人群的比较研究匮乏。现有的少数研究表明阿拉伯人存在独特的饮酒模式，不仅戒酒率高，而且当前饮酒者中的重度饮酒率也高。尚未有研究考察可能导致这种独特饮酒模式的潜在社会认知机制。以色列是研究阿拉伯人群饮酒模式的独特且有价值的资源，因为以色列阿拉伯人是居住在普遍接触西方生活方式（包括饮酒）地区的非移民。本研究旨在调查来自以色列大学和学院的1310名犹太和阿拉伯学生的便利样本中的酒精消费差异，并探索饮酒预期作为民族宗教差异的潜在中介因素。
使用逻辑回归来生成优势比和95%置信区间，以测试犹太和阿拉伯学生在二元结果（终生、上个月和重度饮酒）上的差异。通过自抽样程序测试饮酒预期对民族宗教差异的中介作用。
结果表明，虽然以色列阿拉伯学生比以色列犹太学生更有可能戒酒，但在当前饮酒者中，以色列阿拉伯学生重度饮酒的风险特别高。结果还表明，这部分是由酒精仅在高摄入量时才会影响饮酒者的预期所介导的。
本研究证实了先前研究中发现的独特阿拉伯饮酒模式。本研究首次证明饮酒预期介导了以色列阿拉伯人和犹太人在重度饮酒方面的民族宗教差异。这项工作有助于理解有害饮酒方面的民族宗教群体差异，可能为未来旨在减少酒精相关危害的病因学研究和公共卫生干预提供信息。
