2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

331006
Associations between Supportive School Climates and Alcohol Drinking Patterns among U.S. High School Students


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 1:09 p.m. - 1:22 p.m.

Robert Coulter, MPH, PhD(c), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Michelle Birkett, PhD, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Heather Corliss, M.P.H, Ph.D, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Brian Mustanski, PhD, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Ron Stall, PhD, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA
Background: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth drink alcohol and engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED) more frequently than heterosexual youth. We examined whether living in jurisdictions (i.e., states and cities) with school climates that are more supportive of LGB youth was associated with reduced frequency of drinking and HED.

Methods: Data on supportive school climates (e.g., percentage of schools with safe spaces and Gay-Straight Alliances) were derived from the 2010 School Health Profile Survey. Data on sexual orientation identity, demographics, and alcohol use were from the pooled 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Surveys from 8 jurisdictions. We fit two-level Poisson models to examine student- and jurisdiction-level correlates for number of past-month drinking days and HED days.

Results: Fewer drinking days were reported by heterosexuals living in jurisdictions with more versus less supportive school climates (incidence rate-ratio [IRR]=0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95,1.00). Supportive school climates were marginally associated with fewer drinking days for gays/lesbians (IRR=0.82; 95% CI: 0.65,1.02) and youth unsure of their sexual orientation (IRR=0.86; 95% CI: 0.68,1.09). Fewer HED days were reported by gays/lesbians (IRR=0.70; 95% CI: 0.56,0.87) and heterosexuals (IRR=0.80; 95% CI: 0.76,0.83) living in jurisdictions with more supportive school climates. Supportive school climates were marginally associated with fewer HED days for youth unsure of their sexual orientation (IRR=0.67; 95% CI: 0.43,1.05). For bisexuals, a supportive school climate was unassociated with drinking days and HED days.

Conclusions: LGB-supportive school climates may reduce drinking behaviors for gays/lesbians, heterosexuals, and youth unsure of their sexual orientation.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess whether living in jurisdictions (i.e., states and cities) with school climates that are more supportive of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth was associated with reduced frequency of drinking and heavy episodic drinking.

Keyword(s): Adolescents, Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral candidate in public health at the University of Pittsburgh. I conducted analyses, interpreted results, and wrote the abstract.
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.

Back to: 3270.0: Social Contexts and/or Social Determinants of LGBT Public Health