Citation

Byrnes HF, Miller BA, Morrison CN, Wiebe DJ, Remer LG, Wiehe SE. J. Adolesc. 2016; 50: 65-68.

Affiliation

Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Regenstrief Institute for Health Care, Fairbanks Hall, 340 West 10th Street, Suite 6200, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3082, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.001

PMID

27214713

Abstract

As adolescents gain freedom to explore new environments unsupervised, more time in proximity to alcohol outlets may increase risks for alcohol and marijuana use. This pilot study: 1) Describes variations in adolescents' proximity to outlets by time of day and day of the week, 2) Examines variations in outlet proximity by drinking and marijuana use status, and 3) Tests feasibility of obtaining real-time data to study adolescent proximity to outlets. U.S. adolescents (N = 18) aged 16-17 (50% female) carried GPS-enabled smartphones for one week with their locations tracked. The geographic areas where adolescents spend time, activity spaces, were created by connecting GPS points sequentially and adding spatial buffers around routes. Proximity to outlets was greater during after school and evening hours. Drinkers and marijuana users were in proximity to outlets 1½ to 2 times more than non-users.

FINDINGS provide information about where adolescents spend time and times of greatest risk, informing prevention efforts.

Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en