Contextual Effects of Perinatal Substance Exposure among Black and White Women in California

Abstract

This secondary analysis assessed the impact of neighborhood characteristics on individual substance exposures among pregnant women in California. Zip code-level census data were attached to data from the 1992 California Perinatal Substance Exposure Study to serve as a proxy for neighborhood characteristics. The central hypothesis of this study suggests that there are differences in substance exposure rates among women living in neighborhoods with differing socioeconomic statuses. The second hypothesis for this study suggests that there are no differences among black and white prevalence rates after controlling for neighborhood characteristics. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the proportion of a neighborhood receiving public assistance was a significant predictor for use of amphetamines, opiates, marijuana, tobacco, and any illegal drug but not alcohol or cocaine. Results also indicated that blacks had higher predicted prevalence risks for alcohol and cocaine while whites had higher predicted risks for tobacco, marijuana, and amphetamines.