Alcohol Contextual Influences: Effects on Health Disparities and Mortality

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests a NIAAA Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) for Dr. Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina. The candidate will develop a research program to reduce health disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. With support from a K-award, Dr. Maldonado-Molina will become an advanced methodologist in the alcohol field in terms of analyses of hierarchical and intensively longitudinal data (i.e., hundreds of repeated observations across multiple groups nested in multiple levels). Dr. Maldonado-Molina's career development goals are: (1) increase knowledge in statistical methods to handle complex hierarchical and longitudinally intensive data (applied to the study of health disparities in alcohol epidemiology); (2) increase skills to disseminate findings on alcohol prevention research to the scientific community; and (3) develop independent research proposals. These goals will be achieved through (1) receiving mentored research experiences; (2) participating in coursework, workshops, and other structured didactic activities; and (3) addressing specific aims of the proposed research project. The proposed research uses hierarchical and intensive longitudinal data to examine whether alcohol exposure and alcohol policies might exacerbate or attenuate disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related mortality across subgroups of the population (e.g. gender, ethnicity, age groups). The research plan is guided by two aims: (1) test effects of exposure and sources of alcohol (e.g., parents, friends, commercial) on trajectories of alcohol use among adolescents across gender and ethnic subgroups; and (2) test effects of selected alcohol policies in reducing health disparities in traffic crash mortality from 1976 to 2002. In sum, Dr. Maldonado- Molina will: (1) develop a research agenda to reduce health disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences; (2) receive training to handle hierarchical and longitudinally intensive data; (3) increase her ability to successfully develop independent research projects; and most importantly, (4) make the transition to an independent researcher who can improve the health of the population by reducing health disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality across subgroups in the United States. Public Health Relevance: With support from this award, the candidate will develop a research program to reduce health disparities in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among adolescents and adults. She will also become an advanced methodologist in the alcohol field in terms of analyses of intensively longitudinal and time-series data (i.e., hundreds of repeated observations across multiple groups nested in multiple levels).