Comparisons of polydrug use at national and inner city levels in England: associations with demographic and socioeconomic factors

Abstract Purpose This study compares polydrug use in national and inner city samples to (1) examine patterns of use underlying different prevalence rates and (2) identify how inner city polydrug use needs targeting in ways not suggested by national research. Methods Latent class analyses on indicato...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of epidemiology 2013-10, Vol.23 (10), p.636-645
Main Authors: Carter, Jennifer L., MRes, Strang, John, MD, Frissa, Souci, PhD, Hayes, Richard D., PhD, SELCoH Study Team, Hatch, Stephani L., PhD, Hotopf, Matthew, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcohol abuse
Alcoholism - epidemiology
Alcoholism - psychology
Cannabis
Cigarette smoking
Comparative study
Demography
England
England - epidemiology
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Illicit drug use
Internal Medicine
Logistic Models
London
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Public health
Residence Characteristics
Smoking - epidemiology
Smoking - psychology
Socioeconomic Factors
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Urban Population
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Purpose This study compares polydrug use in national and inner city samples to (1) examine patterns of use underlying different prevalence rates and (2) identify how inner city polydrug use needs targeting in ways not suggested by national research. Methods Latent class analyses on indicators of illicit drug use in the last year, hazardous alcohol use, and cigarette smoking were compared between the inner city 2008-2010 South East London Community Health study ( n = 1698) and the nationally representative 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in England ( n = 7403). Multinomial logistic regressions then examined latent class solutions with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Results Both samples revealed three notably similar classes of polydrug users: a "high-drug" group using multiple substances; a "moderate-drug" group using cannabis, alcohol, and cigarettes; and a "low-drug" group reporting minimal alcohol and cigarette use. However, South East London Community Health reported lower risks of polydrug use for ethnic minorities but not for more educated participants. Conclusions Despite higher polydrug use prevalence in the inner city, latent classes of polydrug users were similar between samples. Some demographic and socioeconomic factors differed between the samples, suggesting the need for inner city services to use both local and national data for policy planning.
ISSN:1047-2797
1873-2585
DOI:10.1016/j.annepidem.2013.07.012