title: People and places: Relocating to neighborhoods with better economic and social conditions is associated with less risky drug/alcohol network characteristics among African American adults in Atlanta, GA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies assess whether place characteristics are associated with social network characteristics that create vulnerability to substance use.
  
  
  METHODS
  This longitudinal study analyzed 7 waves of data (2009-2014) from a predominantly substance-using cohort of 172 African American adults relocated from public housing complexes in Atlanta, GA, to determine whether post-relocation changes in exposure to neighborhood conditions were associated with four network characteristics related to substance use: number of social network members who used illicit drugs or alcohol in excess in the past six months ("drug/alcohol network"), drug/alcohol network stability, and turnover into and out of drug/alcohol networks. Individual- and network-level characteristics were captured via survey and administrative data were used to describe census tracts where participants lived. Multilevel models were used to assess relationships of census tract-level characteristics to network outcomes over time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On average, participants relocated to census tracts that had less economic disadvantage, social disorder, and renter-occupied housing. Post-relocation reductions in exposure to economic disadvantage were associated with fewer drug/alcohol network members and less turnover into drug/alcohol networks. Post-relocation improvements in exposure to multiple census tract-level social conditions and reductions in perceived community violence were associated with fewer drug/alcohol network members, less turnover into drug/alcohol networks, less drug/alcohol network stability, and more turnover out of drug/alcohol networks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relocating to neighborhoods with less economic disadvantage and better social conditions may weaken relationships with substance-using individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Electronic address: sabriya.linton@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Sabriya L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Linton
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah L F
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health at Georgia State University, One Park Place, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
authors.forename: Ruiyan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Renneker
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Haley
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Josalin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hunter-Jones
authors.affiliation: ZevRoss Spatial Analysis, 120 N Aurora St., Suite 3A, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
authors.forename: Zev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 745 S. Glynn St., Fayetteville, GA 30214, USA.
authors.forename: Loida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonney
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health at Georgia State University, One Park Place, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rothenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012924:Social Conditions; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Longitudinal analysis; Neighborhood characteristics; Social epidemiology; Social networks; Substance use; US