title: Neighborhood characteristics and the initiation of marijuana use and binge drinking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study examines whether residential neighborhood characteristics influence the initiation of marijuana use and binge drinking, and if these neighborhood factors heighten or dampen peer influences on substance use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Predictors of marijuana (N=6516) and binge drinking (N=6630) initiation over a 1-year period were identified using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Participants were of ages 12-19 years at baseline. The main predictor variables were neighborhood characteristics, using both objective (proportion of households below the poverty line and female-headed, unemployment rate, residential stability) and subjective (perceived cohesion and safety) measures. Binge drinking was defined as 5 or more drinks in a row.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Initiation occurred for 12.9% of adolescents in the case of marijuana and 16.4% for binge drinking. Marijuana initiation was more likely among adolescents who lived in neighborhoods with a higher unemployment rate, and binge drinking initiation was more likely among those who perceived greater safety in their neighborhood, after adjusting for other neighborhood characteristics, demographics, friend characteristics, and behavioral and family risk factors. There was no evidence that neighborhood context moderates the associations of peer factors on initiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Select neighborhood characteristics appear relevant to the initiation of marijuana use and binge drinking, although the mechanisms appear to be distinct for each substance. If these results are found to be robust, future research should aim to better understand how neighborhood context influences the initiation of adolescent substance use in order to inform prevention efforts.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, PO Box 3128, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, USA. jtucker@rand.org
authors.forename: Joan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.forename: Kayla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de la Haye
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Harold D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D011203:Poverty; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult