We propose to investigate the relationship between the neighborhood-level availability and promotion of alcohol and alcohol-related mortality, and to study the degree to which racial and socioeconomic differences in alcohol-related mortality may be accounted for by the neighborhood-level availability and promotion of these substances. Alcohol availability and promotion are modifiable neighborhood-level risk factors because they are regulated by local, state and federal agencies. We intend to focus on a stratified sample of 114 urban census tracts in California and 114 urban census tracts in Louisiana randomly sampled so that the median income is equally divided into high, medium and low SES tracts. In these census tracts we will conduct observations of the availability of alcohol products at neighborhood stores as well as the density of billboards promoting alcohol; we will collect very specific information about malt liquor, which is believed to be heavily promoted in low-income neighborhoods. In addition, we will conduct telephone interviews of residents in the selected census tracts to measure social capital, collective efficacy, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related morbidity. Our outcomes of interest will be self-reported alcohol use, alcohol related morbidity, and census tract rates of alcohol-related mortality. We will use geographic information systems (GIS) to map the spatial relationships between alcohol promotion, alcohol consumption and alcohol related mortality. Hierarchical linear models and structural equation modeling to distinguish between individual and structural risk factors will be used for the data analysis. Because alcohol marketing is already regulated, if certain marketing techniques are disproportionately associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related mortality, the findings can be used to inform public policy.
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| Cohen, Deborah A; Sturm, Roland; Scott, Molly et al. (2010) Not enough fruit and vegetables or too many cookies, candies, salty snacks, and soft drinks? Public Health Rep 125:88-95 |
| Sturm, Roland; Cohen, Deborah A (2009) Zoning for health? The year-old ban on new fast-food restaurants in South LA. Health Aff (Millwood) 28:w1088-97 |
| Theall, Katherine P; Scribner, Richard; Cohen, Deborah et al. (2009) Social capital and the neighborhood alcohol environment. Health Place 15:323-32 |
| Farley, Thomas A; Rice, Janet; Bodor, J Nicholas et al. (2009) Measuring the food environment: shelf space of fruits, vegetables, and snack foods in stores. J Urban Health 86:672-82 |
| Rose, Donald; Hutchinson, Paul L; Bodor, J Nicholas et al. (2009) Neighborhood food environments and Body Mass Index: the importance of in-store contents. Am J Prev Med 37:214-9 |
| Scott, Molly M; Dubowitz, Tamara; Cohen, Deborah A (2009) Regional differences in walking frequency and BMI: what role does the built environment play for Blacks and Whites? Health Place 15:882-7 |
| Theall, Katherine P; Scribner, Richard; Cohen, Deborah et al. (2009) The neighborhood alcohol environment and alcohol-related morbidity. Alcohol Alcohol 44:491-9 |
| Theall, Katherine P; DeJong, William; Scribner, Richard et al. (2009) Social capital in the college setting: the impact of participation in campus activities on drinking and alcohol-related harms. J Am Coll Health 58:15-23 |
| Cohen, Deborah; Farley, Thomas A (2008) Eating as an automatic behavior. Prev Chronic Dis 5:A23 |
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