142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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296737
Alcohol Outlet Density, Family Relationships and Alcohol Use in an Urban Black Population in Philadelphia Public Housing Communities

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 12:30 PM - 12:50 PM

Julie A. Cederbaum, PhD, MSW, MPH , School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Robin Petering, MSW , University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Amy He, LCSW , School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
M. Katherine Hutchinson, PhD, RN, FAAN , William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
Loretta Jemmott, PhD, FAAN , Center for Health Equity Research/ School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
John Jemmott III, PhD , Department of Psychiatry/University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Background: Alcohol misuse is linked to negative outcomes in adults and adolescents. Adolescent alcohol use behaviors are influenced by familial patterns of communication and role modeling, as well as contextual neighborhood factors. Using geospatial visualization in conjunction with mother–son data paired with census and city alcohol dispensary data , this work explored the influence of individual, family, and environmental factors on alcohol use among Black mothers and sons.

Methods: Secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial with Black mothers and sons (ages 11-15 years) living in 35 housing communities (n= 382) in Philadelphia, PA were paired with census tract and alcohol control board data. ArcGIS and SPSS were used for analyses.

Results: Alcohol outlet density was correlated with two census variables: percentages of Black residents and families living in poverty. Percentage of high school graduates buffered this effect. Among mothers, younger age and alcohol outlet density were significantly associated with use. Among sons, older age and percentage of Black residents predicted use.

Conclusion: This study was the first to our knowledge to use individual, intrafamilial, and environmental data from mother–son dyads in conjunction with geospatial visualization to explore the influence of multiple systems on the alcohol use of mothers and sons in public housing communities. These findings highlight neighborhood influence (specifically alcohol outlet density), above family qualities, as a determinant of disadvantaged Black mothers’ alcohol use. Interventions must account for the varied influences within families and systems when addressing alcohol use problems.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe the use of a social ecological perspective to examine the influence of environment and family on individual level alcohol use. Demonstrate innovative utilization of existing and primary data to explore alcohol use using a systems perspective. Discuss multi-level approaches to reducing alcohol use initiation and use/abuse among vulnerable populations.

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Family Involvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Principal Investigator on the research funded by NIDA and helped to conceptualize and wrote and complimentary manuscript (under review).
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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