The inner city and drug use: initial findings from an epidemiological study

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 175 - 184
• Main Authors: Ensminger, Margaret E, Anthony, James C, McCord, Joan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15-12-1997; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Adults; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Alcohol-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Central Cities; Chi-Square Distribution; Chicago - epidemiology; Chicago, Illinois; Child; Childhood Factors; Cocaine-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Drug addiction; Drug Use; Epidemiological surveys; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Surveys; Humans; Inner city drug use; Low Income Areas; Male; Marijuana Abuse - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Regional Differences; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Self Disclosure; Self reports of substance use; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Suburbs; United States - epidemiology; Urban Health - statistics & numerical data; United States; North America; Illinois; America; Chicago; Epidemiological surveys; Self reports of substance use; Inner city drug use; Consumption; Human; Alcoholic beverage; Urban environment; Prevalence; Narcotic; Minority; Mental health; Black American; Epidemiology; Public health
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/S0376-8716(97)00124-5

Although scientific and policy statements regarding drugs often suggest that there are grave problems of drug use within America's inner cities, the evidence that supports these statements is often based on anecdotal or incomplete data. This study of African-American adults from the Woodlawn study followed longitudinally partially fills that gap, at least for learning more about those who spend some or all of their childhood within an inner city neighborhood. We found few differences between the lifetime prevalence of drug use and a national representative sample of adults of the same age range. Furthermore, a national household survey of African-Americans of similar age living in six central cities also reported low lifetime rates of illicit drug use. Nevertheless, those from the Woodlawn cohort had higher rates of use of illicit drugs in the past year than the national sample, especially those still living in areas with high rates of poverty. Additionally, reports of heavy drug trafficking were much greater in the inner city areas than in the suburbs.