A Multilevel Study of the Role of Environment in Adolescent Substance Use

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationships between county-level characteristics and adolescent use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. The study consisted of a hierarchical generalized linear analysis of secondary data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Variables on the county level included the percent of adolescents in the county reporting the presence of a Boys Girls Club, neighbors available to adolescents needing to talk, abandoned buildings, and easy access to the substance. The easy access variable explained a majority of the variance in the county-level log odds of use. The results provide support for policies that restrict access to alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana.