Kinesiology and Health Education Assistant Professor Miguel Pinedo has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) for his project, Explaining Latino-White Disparities in Alcohol Treatment Services Utilization. Pinedo’s project will address gaps in our understanding of barriers that prevent people from seeking and receiving appropriate care for alcohol use disorders. His research will aid in the development of strategies to enhance treatment use.
Latinos are less likely to use specialty alcohol treatment than other racial and ethnic groups, with the greatest disparity being between Latinos and Whites. There are few studies that effectively examine the barriers to treatment in these populations. Pinedo’s project will validate a newly developed, theory-driven treatment scale called the Barriers to Specialty Alcohol Treatment Scale (BSAT) through interviews with participants.
After the initial interviews, Pinedo will recruit 1,200 participants to complete the BSAT, which will help to further validate the scale. Findings will enhance our understanding of barriers that contribute to Latino-White disparities in specialty alcohol treatment utilization. The study will also provide insights into the different barriers that people with alcohol use disorders face that prevent them from seeking treatment.
