Citation

Cepeda A, Valdez A, Kaplan C, Hill LE. Disasters 2010; 34(2): 426-446.

Affiliation

Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology and Associate Director at the Center for Drug and Social Policy Research, University of Houston, TX, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-7717.2009.01136.x

PMID

19863564

PMCID

PMC3008163

Abstract

This paper focuses on changing patterns of substance use among low income, African American drug users evacuated from New Orleans, Louisiana, during Hurricane Katrina of August 2005. It examines the relationship between increases and decreases in alcohol and tobacco (AT) use and illicit drug (ID) use after Katrina and pre-disaster and within-disaster factors. Data from structured interviews with 200 Katrina evacuees currently living in Houston were collected 8-14 months after the disaster. Multivariate analysis revealed that rises in AT use were positively associated with education. Females and younger evacuees were more likely to have increased AT use. ID use increase was positively associated with resource loss and leaving the city before Katrina. Decreases in AT and ID use were found to be associated with disaster-related exposure. The paper discusses the specific consequences of disasters on disadvantaged minority substance users and the importance of developing public health disaster policies that target this population.

Language: en