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Windows of Opportunity: Fundamental Concepts for Understanding Alcohol-Related Disparities Experienced by Young Blacks in the United States

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Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing alcohol-related disparities experienced by young Blacks in the United States. The framework highlights areas of risk and opportunity as they relate to the development of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. In this paper, life course development theory serves as a guide for identifying a critical period in the development of alcohol-related disparities and it serves to guide the identification of opportunities to prevent or attenuate this health outcome. We also highlight concepts from ecosocial theory, resilience theory, and prevention science that advance our understanding of risk and protective factors for the social problems that young Blacks experience related to alcohol use.

We conclude with suggestions for designing studies that range from etiology to preventive interventions. We also recommend methodologies that allow for more nuanced understandings of the etiology and prevention of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems experienced by young Blacks than have been available to date.

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Acknowledgements

Preparation of this paper was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism grant P60 AA013759-02s2 and the W.K. Kellogg Scholars in Health Disparities program. We also thank Susan Ennett and the two blind reviewers for comments on earlier versions of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Youth Alcohol Prevention Center, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, 580 3rd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118-2526,, USA

    Dionne C. Godette

  2. Havard School of Public Health, Center for Society & Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Dionne C. Godette

  3. The Paragon Foundation, Raliegh, North Carolina, USA

    Sandra Headen

  4. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Chandra L. Ford

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  1. Dionne C. Godette
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  2. Sandra Headen
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  3. Chandra L. Ford
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Correspondence to Dionne C. Godette.

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Godette, D.C., Headen, S. & Ford, C.L. Windows of Opportunity: Fundamental Concepts for Understanding Alcohol-Related Disparities Experienced by Young Blacks in the United States. Prev Sci 7, 377–387 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0044-3

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