The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71448

Joan M. Patterson, PhD¹, Lynn Eberly, PhD¹, Yingmei Ding, MD, MS², and Margaret Hargreaves, MPP². (1) School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 612 624-1394, joan.patterson@epi.umn.edu, (2) Hennepin County Community Health Department, 525 Portland Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55415

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether area-level social characteristics are associated with current cigarette smoking among adults. METHODS: 10,062 adults, randomly selected from 19 geographic areas in an urban county, reported individual health status and behaviors by telephone. Area-level measures of social cohesion, neighborhood and home safety, and concentrations of poverty and low education were constructed by aggregating individual responses within each geographic area. RESULTS: Overall, 21.2% of survey respondents reported current cigarette smoking. Both higher area-level social cohesion (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.98) and higher individual social cohesion (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.92,0.99) were associated with lower likelihoods of smoking. Similar models were obtained for neighborhood safety and home safety. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings contribute to the growing literature on the important role of social cohesion and other area-level characteristics on smoking behavior among adults.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate social cohesion as an individual level variable versus an area-level variable and its relationship to social capital.
• Identity potential pathways by which area-level variables, such as social cohesion, contributes to individual health behaviors like smoking.
• Consider the implications of ecologic protective factors, such as social cohesion, for public health interventions and policies.

Keywords: Community Health, Smoking

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.