# The corner liquor store:  race, retail, and health risk in urban African American communities

> **NIH NIH G13** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS · 2021 · $50,000

## Abstract

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that “people drink to socialize, celebrate, and
relax.” Indeed, alcohol consumption features prominently in American social life, is widely consumed in the
population, and is extensively marketed. Yet, national health data show that African Americans are more likely
to abstain from alcohol use. For example, according to the 2016 National Health Insurance Survey, 57.6% of
White, but 43.6% of Black adults were current regular drinkers. However, African Americans who do drink
consume more alcohol and are often more likely to engage in binge drinking. As well, this population has a
higher risk for developing alcohol-related liver disease. Alcohol is also linked to a number of other conditions
from which African Americans suffer high morbidity and mortality such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Because the unequal burden of chronic disease among African Americans is not attributable solely to
individual socioeconomic status or access to health care, research is needed to contextualize alcohol-related
health risks. A significant body of research has documented that African American communities are heavily
exposed to liquor stores, a mismatch that is discordant from drinking patterns. Liquor store density is
associated with greater consumption of alcohol and with a number of negative outcomes ranging from injury to
sexually transmitted disease. Beyond immediate health risks related to consumption, liquor stores exert
systematic pressures on African American communities of which health outcomes are but one. By inducing a
cascade of socioeconomic and social stressors, and by perpetuating racial inequalities in institutional practices
and social relations, liquor stores have a profound and capacious reach in Black life. To date, these impacts
have been little interrogated. The proposed study seeks to advance research on social determinants of health
by conducting historical analyses of liquor store prevalence, operations, merchandise, and alcoholic beverage
marketing in urban African American communities from approximately 1945 to the present. Drawing on a
diverse set of archival resources, street observation of stores, and interviews with liquor store workers, the
proposed work will make an innovative contribution to research on neighborhood context and health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10115373
- **Project number:** 1G13LM013561-01
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS
- **Principal Investigator:** Naa Oyo A Kwate
- **Activity code:** G13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10115373

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10115373, The corner liquor store:  race, retail, and health risk in urban African American communities (1G13LM013561-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10115373. Licensed CC0.

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