The role of immigration status in heavy drinking among Asian Americans

We examined the role of Asian Americans' immigration status in their heavy drinking, using a national sample of 3,574 Asian American adults during 2008 to 2011 when surveyed by the National Health Interview Survey. Our results, with relevant social structural factors controlled, show that U.S.-born Asian Americans exhibited the highest heavy-drinking levels, followed by long-time-resident Asian immigrants, then recent-resident Asian immigrants (our three main subsamples). The higher heavy-drinking levels characterizing U.S.-born Asians who were male and younger, as compared to immigrant Asians who were male and younger, helped explain differential heavy-drinking levels across subsamples. The study's limitations are noted.