From the Macro to the Micro: A Geographic Examination of the Community Context and Early Adolescent Problem Behaviors

This study examined how multiple dimensions and levels of the community context associated with early adolescent problem behaviors
in rural communities. Four thousand, five hundred and nine eighth-grade students in 28 rural and small town school districts
in two states participated in surveys regarding substance use and delinquency in 2005. Locations of alcohol retailers, tobacco
retailers, youth-serving organizations, and student residences were geocoded. Associations of the number of proximal alcohol
and tobacco retailers, and youth-serving organizations with an early-adolescent problem behavior index were tested in Nonlinear
Mixed Models that controlled for multiple district-level and individual characteristics. Multi-level model results demonstrated
that the number of alcohol and tobacco retail locations within a one-mile radius of each adolescent’s home positively associated
with student-reported problem behaviors above and beyond the influence of school district and individual characteristics.
Results suggest that the proximal community context added significantly to the district context when understanding the occurrence
of early adolescent problem behaviors. Recognizing this variability in geographically determined risk within a community will
likely enhance the effectiveness of community prevention activities.