Assessing Correlates of the Growth and Extent of Methamphetamine Abuse and Dependence in California

Abstract

Using aggregate-level data, this study performed cross-sectional analyses on all 1,628 populated California zip code areas and longitudinal analyses on 581 consistently defined zip codes over six years (1995–2000), relating place and population characteristics of these areas to rates of hospital discharges for amphetamine dependence/abuse using linear spatial models. Analyzing the data in two ways, spatial time series cross-sections and spatial difference models, amphetamine dependence/abuse were greatest in rural areas with more young low-income whites, larger numbers of retail and alcohol outlets, and smaller numbers of restaurants. Growth rates of these problems were greater in areas with higher income and larger non-White and Hispanic populations. This suggests that there was some change in the penetration of the methamphetamine epidemic into different population groups during this time. Study implications and limitations are discussed.

RÉSUMÉ

Utilisant des données agrégées, cette étude présente des analyses transversales sur l’ensemble des 1628 codes postaux de zones habitées, ainsi que des analyses longitudinales de 581 codes postaux définis de manière consistante sur six années (1995–2000). Ces analyses de modèle spatial linéaire mettent en relation les caractéristiques de l’endroit et de la population de ces zones avec les taux de sorties d’hôpitaux suivant un diagnostique de dépendance/abus d’amphétamines. Les analyses, d’une part des séries transversales temporelles et d’autre part des modèles spatiaux différentiels, démontrent que les taux de dépendance/abus d’amphétamines étaient plus élevés dans les zones rurales avec davantage de Blancs et de revenus bas, avec plus de magasins de vente au détail et de points de vente d’alcool, et avec moins de restaurants. L’augmentation de ces problèmes était plus forte dans les zones habitées par une population avec des revenus plus élevés et avec une proportion plus élevée de non-Blancs et d’Hispaniques. Ces résultats suggèrent des changements au niveau de la propagation de l’épidémie de métamphétamine dans différents groupes de la population durant cette période. Les implications et limitations de cette études sont discutées.

RESUMEN

Para este estudio se usaron datos de nivel agregado para llevarse acabo un análisis transversal de todos los 1,628 códigos postales de California que abarcan regiones pobladas y un análisis longitudinal de 581 códigos postales definidos de forma consistente durante seis años (1995–2000), relacionando las características de lugar y de población con la taza de altas hospitalarias por dependencia/abuso de anfetaminas usando modelos espaciales lineales. Se analizaron los datos de dos maneras, secciones transversales de serie espacial temporal y modelos de diferencia espacial, con el resultado de un nivel más alto de dependencia/abuso de anfetaminas en las regiones rurales con más gente blanca de bajos ingresos, más tiendas minoristas y de alcohol, y menos restaurantes. Había tasa de crecimiento más alta en las regiones de ingresos más altos y más población de Hispanos y personas No Blancas. Esto sugiere que hubo algún cambio en la penetración de la epidemia de metanfetaminas en los diferentes grupos de población durante este periodo. Hay discusión de las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio.

Keywords :

• Methamphetamine
• amphetamine
• drug dependence
• drug abuse
• drug markets

THE AUTHORS

Paul J. Gruenewald, Ph.D., is currently Scientific Director of Prevention Research Center. His research interests focus upon studies of the social, economic, and physical availability of alcohol, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. Additional foci of his work include mathematical and statistical models of alcohol use and related problems, the development of evaluation methodologies appropriate to community-based evaluations of preventive interventions, and the environmental prevention of violence. He also directs the Spatial Systems Group, a coordinating center for work using Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Statistical Systems, and Spatial Dynamic Models. He has been a Principal or Co-Investigator on 18 funded research projects. Dr. Gruenewald is currently Principal Investigator on three research projects funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). In honor of his research achievements, Dr. Gruenewald recently received a Merit Award from NIAAA to support continued studies of alcohol outlets and violence.

Fred W. Johnson, Ph.D., has been an Associate Research Scientist at Prevention Research Center since 1996 after completing postdoctoral training at the center that year. Working with the Scientific Director, he models the relationships between alcohol availability and related outcomes such as injuries, motor vehicle accidents, violence, and suicide. In a series of papers, he has also helped model the dose–response relationship between individual alcohol consumption and self-reported alcohol consumption-related problems. Most recently he has helped model the development and growth of drug markets. The results of this modeling may be used to better inform policy crafted to reduce alcohol- and drug consumption-related harm.

William R. Ponicki, M.A., is an Associate Research Scientist at Prevention Research Center. His main area of research is econometric analysis of the impacts of alcohol- and drug-control policies upon the consumption of these substances as well as associated problems. Mr. Ponicki's previous empirical work has investigated the impacts of alcohol taxes, minimum legal drinking ages, and hours of alcohol sales in the determination of alcohol sales, traffic fatalities, cirrhosis rates, and violent crimes. He is currently adapting Bayesian space–time disease models to analyze the spread of methamphetamine abuse across California during recent decades.

Lillian G. Remer, M.A., GISP, is an Associate Research Scientist at Prevention Research Center. Her specialty is the development of Geographic Information Systems for the study of substance abuse and problem prevention.

Elizabeth A. LaScala, Ph.D., has served for over 15 years as a consulting research scientist at Prevention Research Center. She earned her MPH from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in public health from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a concentration in the behavioral sciences. At UCLA, she focused her research efforts on factors associated with compliance to medical recommendations, youth smoking prevention, and adult cessation. Her current research interests include ecological studies of motor vehicle accidents, injuries, alcohol outlets, and most recently, illegal drug markets.

Notes

1 The journal's style utilizes the category substance abuse as a diagnostic category. Substances are used or misused; living organisms are and can be abused. Editor's note.