Citation

Gruenewald PJ, Remer LG, Lascala EA. Addiction 2014; 109(5): 736-745.

Affiliation

Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1995 University Ave., Ste. 450, Berkeley, CA 94704.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.12438

PMID

24304295

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Social ecological theories suggest that greater community alcohol availability and individual drinker characteristics should jointly affect drinking patterns and the use of drinking contexts. We assessed relationships of demographic and personality characteristics of individual drinkers and environmental characteristics at the city-level to measures of drinking patterns and use of drinking contexts. DESIGN: Multilevel statistical analyses of archival and survey data from 50 cities in California, USA. SETTINGS: An ecological sample of 50 geographically distinct cities with populations from 50,000 to 500,000 persons. PARTICIPANTS: General population telephone survey of 8,553 adults 18 years of age and older stratified by cities. MEASUREMENTS: Archival data on city-level alcohol outlet densities were combined with individual survey data identifying community conditions, individual demographic and psychosocial characteristics, frequencies of use of drinking contexts and drinking patterns. FINDINGS: Greater on-premise outlet densities were related to greater drinking frequencies (b=2.967, z=4.688, p<0.001) and volumes (b=0.627, z=3.394, p<0.001), and use of on-premises drinking places (bars, b=0.334, z=2.645, p<0.006, and restaurants, b=0.171, z=2.770, p=0.005). Individual demographic and personality characteristics were related to drinking and use of drinking contexts. For example, greater impulsivity was related to greater drinking frequencies (b=0.200, z=2.088, p=0.023) and logged quantities (b=0.015, z=2.009, p=0.026), and proportionately more drinking at bars (b=0.033, z=2.016, p=0.026) and parties (b=0.171, z=2.770, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Community availability of alcohol and individual drinker characteristics appear to act jointly to affect drinking levels and use of drinking contexts in California, USA. These effects may increase risks related to drinking in some contexts (e.g., bars) much more than others (e.g., at friends' or relatives' homes).

Language: en