Journal of Studies on Alcohol• Vol. 45, No. 4, 1984 Alcohol Consumption Patterns among Women in Baltimore* DAVID D. CELENTANO, Sc.D. ANDDAVID V. McQUEEN, Sc.D.T Department of Behavioral Sciences, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 ABSTRACT. A telephone survey of women aged 18+ (N = 1084) in Baltimore during 1980 showed that 8.1c• had a heavy alcohol intake (2 + drinks per day) and that 22.4c• engaged in escape drinking. Age, race, marital status, maternal status, income, education, employment and de- gree of urbanization were examined for their relationships with the amount of alcohol consumption and the preva- lence of escape drinking. Multivariate analysis showed that being married or widowed, lower educational attain- ment and less egalitarian sex-role attitudes were associ- ated with lower alcohol consumption. (J. Stud. Alcohol 45: 355-358, 1984) REVIEW of population surveys conducted during the last 30 yr yields highly variable estimates of the prevalence of problem drinking in women (Fer- rence, 1980; Kalant, 1980). Much of this variability can be accounted for by problems with measurement and definitions in alcohol studies beyond difficulties in sampling methods (Celentano and McQueen, 1978a, 1978b). In the present study, we examine current drinking behavior among women in Baltimore using a population survey conducted by telephone. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1980 on women aged 18 and older residing in metropolitan Baltimore. The 15-min interview included a standard quantity-frequency measure of alcohol consumption. Respondents were asked about their consumption of beer, wine and distilled spirits during the previous month. The response categories for frequency were: every day, 5-6 days a week, 3-4 days a week, 1-2 days a week, lessthan oncea week and not at all. Quantity was ascertained by asking respondentsthe usual amount of each type of beverage that they had consumed when drinking that beverage. The modal number of glasses was used. An overall quantity-frequency measure was Received: 3 August 1983. Revision: 19 December 1983. * This research was supported in part by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant R01AA04313, "Alcohol Use and Abuse among Urban Women." ? Dr. McQueen is Director of the Research Unit in Health and Behavioural Change, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scot- land. 355 constructed with the following (arbitrary) cutoff points: abstainer, light (< 7 drinks per week), moderate (7-13 drinks per week) and heavy (14 + drinks per week). The interview also included Cahalan et al.'s (1969) Escape Drinking Scale. A respondent was classified as an escape drinker if she rated two or more of the following statements as "very" or "fairly" important: "I drink becauseit helps me to relax"; "I drink when I want to forget everything"; "A drink helps me to forget my worries"; "A drink helps cheer me up when I'm in a bad mood";and "I drink because I need it when tense and nervous." The sampling plan employed random-digit dialing using a computer-assisted method (Sudman, 1973). Of the 3875 telephone numbers assigned to the study, 53% yielded working numbers and 80% of these were eligible households, defined as households with one or more adult women. Of the women in these households, 1135 (68%) were successfully interviewed and the responses of 1084 (65%) were usable in final form. Because of the urgency to complete the study before a holiday associated with drinking occasions (Christ- mas), no conversion of refusals was attempted. (Our experi- ence in conducting telephone interviews has shown that approximately 40-50% of refusals can be converted to completedinterviews if appropriate follow-up procedures are followed. If such a procedure had been used, a responserate of approximately 80% could have been obtained.) Results The demographic characteristics of the subjects are given to establish the context of the study. Of the women surveyed, 13% lived in the inner city, 37% in urban areas, nearly 40% in suburban areas and approximately 10% in surrounding rural areas. A total of 56.2% were employed, reflecting national figures on