Neighborhood effects on drug reporting

Aims To examine whether neighborhood racial characteristics are associated with the under reporting of life time cocaine/crack use. Design A household survey of high-risk communities with above-average admissions to state-supported drug and alcohol treatment programs. Setting Chicago, Illinois, USA. Participants A total of 303 adults. Measures Self-reported use of cocaine/crack during a respondent's life time, hair test assays for cocaine use and level of neighborhood diversity measured using the Simpson Index. Findings Respondents from more segregated neighborhoods were more likely than those from diverse neighborhoods to under report life time cocaine/crack use. Conclusions Neighborhood racial characteristics should be considered as an important factor in household surveys on illicit substance use.