Margaretha de Looze1, Ian Janssen2, Frank J Elgar3, Wendy Craig4, William Pickett5. 1. Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: M.E.deLooze@uu.nl. 2. School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Office KHS 301W, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. Electronic address: ian.janssen@queensu.ca. 3. Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, 1130 Pine Avenue West, Room 302, Montreal, Canada H3A 1A3. Electronic address: frank.elgar@mcgill.ca. 4. Department of Psychology, Queen's University, 221 Craine, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6. Electronic address: wendy.craig@queensu.ca. 5. Department of Psychology, Queen's University, 221 Craine, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6; Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Angada 3, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON Canada K7L 2V7. Electronic address: will.pickett@queensu.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although neighbourhood factors have been proposed as determinants of adolescent behaviour, few studies document their relative etiological importance. We investigated the relationship between neighbourhood crime and cannabis use in a nationally representative sample of Canadian adolescents. METHODS: Data from the 2009/10 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey (n=9134 14- and 15-year-olds) were combined with area-level data on crime and socioeconomic status of the neighbourhood surrounding the schools (n=218). RESULTS: Multilevel logistic regression analyses showed that after individual and contextual differences were held constant, neighbourhood crime related to cannabis use (OR 1.29, CI 1.12-1.47 per 1.0 SD increase in crime). This association was not moderated by parental support nor having cannabis-using friends. The amount of explained variance at the neighbourhood level was 19%. CONCLUSIONS: Neighbourhood crime is an important factor to consider when designing interventions aimed at reducing adolescent cannabis use. Interventional research should examine the effectiveness of community-based interventions that target adolescents through parents and peers.
BACKGROUND: Although neighbourhood factors have been proposed as determinants of adolescent behaviour, few studies document their relative etiological importance. We investigated the relationship between neighbourhood crime and cannabis use in a nationally representative sample of Canadian adolescents. METHODS: Data from the 2009/10 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey (n=9134 14- and 15-year-olds) were combined with area-level data on crime and socioeconomic status of the neighbourhood surrounding the schools (n=218). RESULTS: Multilevel logistic regression analyses showed that after individual and contextual differences were held constant, neighbourhood crime related to cannabis use (OR 1.29, CI 1.12-1.47 per 1.0 SD increase in crime). This association was not moderated by parental support nor having cannabis-using friends. The amount of explained variance at the neighbourhood level was 19%. CONCLUSIONS: Neighbourhood crime is an important factor to consider when designing interventions aimed at reducing adolescent cannabis use. Interventional research should examine the effectiveness of community-based interventions that target adolescents through parents and peers.
Authors: Joanna Mazur; Izabela Tabak; Anna Dzielska; Krzysztof Wąż; Anna Oblacińska Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2016-12-21 Impact factor: 3.390