title: Selected community characteristics and underage drinking.
abstract: This study assessed the relationship between community characteristics and alcohol use among 6,636 youth, aged from 14 to 20, in 2004. After adjusting for individual-level characteristics, youth from communities with a greater proportion of grandparents as caregivers, larger numbers of married couple families, and higher employment rates were significantly less likely to report past 30-day alcohol use. Youth from communities with higher median household income were significantly more likely to report past 30-day alcohol use. Adolescents in communities with a greater percentage of whites were significantly more likely to report binge drinking. The results indicate that the community context is an important predictor of alcohol use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27104, USA. esong@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reboussin
authors.forename: Kristie Long
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kaltenbach
authors.forename: Kimberly G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Wagoner
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolfson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004651:Employment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult