Romano Eduardo, Sanchez Mariana
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Beltsville, MD, United States.
Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.
J Safety Res. 2024 Dec;91:401-409. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2024.09.009. Epub 2024 Oct 24.
Typically, recent Latino immigrants (RLIs) experience a decline in driving while impaired (DWI) rates soon after immigration, largely due to limited access to vehicles. Such a transitional period offers a window of opportunity for intervention for RLIs at risk of engaging in DWI and riding with an impaired driver (RWID). This manuscript examines the rates of DWI, RWID, and driving while impaired by drugs (DWID) among RLIs upon arrival to Miami/Dade County (MDC), Florida.
Collected between 2018 and 2021, data originates from a longitudinal study examining self-reported drinking and driving trajectories among 540 RLIs to MDC. At baseline retrospective pre-immigration data were obtained simultaneously with first-year post-immigration data. Two follow-up surveys conducted one year apart (N=531 and N=522), collect data on RLIs initial 3 years in the United States.
Pre- to post-immigration trajectories for mean number of drinks per month (d/m) revealed a "U-shaped" curve: 18.3 d/m, 13.9 d/m, 10.4 d/m, 12.9 d/m, and 16.4 d/m, from pre-immigration (T0), first year (T1), second year before COVID (T2-BC) and during the pandemic lockdown (T2-DC), and third year in the United States (T3). The use of illicit drugs showed a constant decline, from 14.6% at T0 to 2.1% at T3. The prevalence of DWI at T1 was significantly lower compared to rates in the country of origin (T0) and continued declining through T3. DWID rates remained low across the assessment period. RWID was significantly more prevalent than DWI across all study time points.
Although the relatively low prevalence of DWI, drug use, and DWID among the RLIs during their initial years in the United States is encouraging, the surge in alcohol use at T3 warns about the need for interventions to prevent increases in DWI.
Findings from the present study point to an opportunity to develop early interventions to prevent the escalation of impaired driving among RLIs to MDC.
通常情况下，近期的拉丁裔移民（RLIs）在移民后不久，因驾车机会有限，酒后驾车（DWI）率会下降。这样一个过渡时期为干预有酒后驾车和与酒后驾驶者同乘（RWID）风险的RLIs提供了一个机会窗口。本手稿研究了抵达佛罗里达州迈阿密-戴德县（MDC）的RLIs中的酒后驾车、与酒后驾驶者同乘以及药物影响下驾车（DWID）的比率。
数据收集于2018年至2021年之间，源自一项纵向研究，该研究调查了540名前往MDC的RLIs自我报告的饮酒和驾车轨迹。在基线时，同时获取移民前的回顾性数据和移民后第一年的数据。相隔一年进行了两次随访调查（N = 531和N = 522），收集了RLIs在美国最初3年的数据。
移民前后每月平均饮酒量（d/m）的轨迹呈现出“U形”曲线：从移民前（T0）的18.3 d/m、第一年（T1）的13.9 d/m、新冠疫情前第二年（T2-BC）和疫情封锁期间（T2-DC）的10.4 d/m、到在美国的第三年（T3）的12.9 d/m和16.4 d/m。非法药物的使用呈持续下降趋势，从T0时的14.6%降至T3时的2.1%。T1时的酒后驾车患病率与原籍国（T0）相比显著较低，并持续下降至T3。在整个评估期间，药物影响下驾车的比率一直较低。在所有研究时间点，与酒后驾驶者同乘的情况比酒后驾车更为普遍。
尽管RLIs在美国最初几年中酒后驾车、药物使用和药物影响下驾车的患病率相对较低令人鼓舞，但T3时酒精使用的激增警示了预防酒后驾车增加的干预措施的必要性。
本研究的结果指出了一个机会，即制定早期干预措施，以防止前往MDC的RLIs中酒后驾车情况的升级。
