Debra Furr-Holden
Debra Furr-Holden
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Professor of Epidemiology
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Professional overview
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Debra M. Furr-Holden is an epidemiologist and passionate advocate for health equity. A public health professional with broad expertise in health disparities and policy-level interventions toward health equity, her scholarship encompasses a range of topics including drug and alcohol dependence epidemiology, psychiatric epidemiology, and prevention science.
Dean Furr-Holden hails from Michigan State University, where she was the C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health and associate dean for public health integration. In announcing her appointment, effective July 2022, NYU President Andrew Hamilton noted Dr. Furr-Holden’s extensive experience working with local and national policymakers, her skill at team-building and success as a mentor, and her exceptional talent as a communicator on public health and health equity issues.
Indeed, it is Dean Furr-Holden’s action-oriented research and commitment to training the next generation of public health practitioners that dovetails perfectly with GPH’s mission to use data-driven interventions and cutting-edge innovation to identify and implement equitable solutions to both domestic and international public health challenges.
In addition to her endowed professorship at MSU, Dr. Furr-Holden served as director of the NIH-funded Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions at the College of Human Medicine. During the Covid-19 pandemic she was appointed to the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, the Greater Flint Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Inequity, and the New York City African American Covid-19 Task Force. Most notably, in Michigan and Flint the racial disparity in Covid-19 cases and deaths among African Americans was eliminated.
Prior to her appointments at MSU Dr. Furr-Holden was an assistant (2007) and later associate (2011) professor at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she retains an appointment as an adjunct professor. Before Johns Hopkins, she was a research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and a faculty member at Morgan State University.
Dean Furr-Holden is a widely published scholar whose writings include more than 120 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals. In 2021 she published a seminal article in Addiction that highlighted racial disparities in opioid overdose deaths over the past two decades, and she was recently quoted in an exclusive article in The New York Times examining the demography of deaths nationwide from Covid-19.
Dean Furr-Holden is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the White House Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Junior Faculty Mentoring Award; and the Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award, recognizing the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, of which she is a founding member.
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Education
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BA, Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Baltimore, MAPhD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MA
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Publications
Publications
Neighborhood environment and internalizing problems in African American children
AbstractMilam, A. J., Furr-Holden, C. D., Whitaker, D., Smart, M., Leaf, P., & Cooley-Strickland, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
Community mental health journalVolume
48Issue
1Page(s)
39-44AbstractThis study examines gender differences in the association between environment and internalizing problems in a sample of predominately African American schoolchildren. Internalizing problems was assessed using the Youth Self Report. Violence and alcohol and other drug (AOD) exposure subscales were created using observational assessments of neighborhood blocks. Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between neighborhood environment and internalizing problems. For each AOD item present on the block the odds of internalizing problems among girls increased by 17% (OR = 1.17, CI: 1.01, 1.35, P = 0.039). The relationship was not significant among boys. Violence exposure did not predict internalizing problems in boys or girls. These preliminary findings suggest that primary schoolaged girls' emotional well-being is more negatively impacted by deleterious environments. Future investigations will examine the relationship between deleterious neighborhood environments and internalizing problems as the children age into adolescence.Sex specific trajectories in cigarette smoking behaviors among students participating in the Unplugged school-based randomized control trial for substance use prevention
AbstractGabrhelik, R., Duncan, A., Lee, M. H., Stastna, L., Furr-Holden, C. D. M., & Miovsky, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
Addictive BehaviorsVolume
37Issue
10Page(s)
1145-1150AbstractObjectives: Understanding the developmental pathways and sex differences in cigarette smoking behaviors in adolescents has the potential to positively impact substance abuse prevention and to reduce smoking-related health problems. Using data from the Unplugged school-based prevention trial, we investigated different patterns of smoking behavior development among secondary school students in the Czech Republic. Methods: Growth mixture modeling was used to examine different trajectories in cigarette smoking behaviors among male and female students (N = 1874 6th graders; 50.4% male, mean age 11.8. years at baseline) participating in the Unplugged school-based randomized control trial for substance use prevention. Results: A two-class model characterized cigarette use as a function of sex and Unplugged intervention status. More rapid cigarette use increases were observed in females (OR = 1.17, p = 0.01 in both rapid/moderate and slow smoking escalator classes) as compared to males. Further, in both classes, more rapid increases in smoking were observed for the control group as compared to the intervention group (OR = 1.22, p. < 0.01 slow escalators; OR = 1.54, p = 0.08 rapid/moderate escalators). There was no difference in sex distribution when comparing the two classes (OR = 1.02, p = 0.98). Conclusions: This study adds to a growing literature on developmental and sex differences in cigarette use among adolescents. This research supports additional multi-year prevention strategies aimed at adolescent females and early treatment programs for adolescent smokers to prevent increasing cigarette use with age.Suicide deaths and nonfatal hospital admissions for deliberate self-harm in the United States
AbstractMiller, T. R., Debra Furr-Holden, C., Lawrence, B. A., & Weiss, H. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
CrisisVolume
33Issue
3Page(s)
169-177AbstractBackground: No one knows whether the temporality of nonfatal deliberate self-harm in the United States mirrors the temporality of suicide deaths. Aims: To analyze dayand month-specific variation in population rates for suicide fatalities and, separately, for hospital admissions for nonfatal deliberate self-harm. Methods: For 12 states, we extracted vital statistics data on all suicides (n = 11,429) and hospital discharge data on all nonfatal deliberate self-harm admissions (n = 60,870) occurring in 1997. We used multinomial logistic regression to analyze the significance of day-to-day and month-to-month variations in the occurrence of suicides and nonfatal deliberate self-harm admissions. Results: Both fatal and nonfatal events had a 6%-10% excess occurrence on Monday and Tuesday and were 5%-13% less likely to occur on Saturdays (p < .05). Males were more likely than females to act on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Nonfatal admission rates were 6% above the average in April and May (p < .05). In contrast, suicide rates were 6% above the average in February and March and 8% below it in November (p < .05). Conclusions: Suicides and nonfatal hospital admissions for deliberate self-harm have peaks and troughs on the same days in the United States. In contrast, the monthly patterns for these fatal and nonfatal events are not congruent.Alcohol- and drug-involved driving in the United States: Methodology for the 2007 national roadside survey
AbstractLacey, J. H., Kelley-Baker, T., Voas, R. B., Romano, E., Furr-Holden, C. D., Torres, P., & Berning, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Evaluation ReviewVolume
35Issue
4Page(s)
319-353AbstractThis article describes the methodology used in the 2007 U.S. National Roadside Survey to estimate the prevalence of alcohol- and drug-impaired driving and alcohol- and drug-involved driving. This study involved randomly stopping drivers at 300 locations across the 48 continental U.S. states at sites selected through a stratified random sampling procedure. Data were collected during a 2-hr Friday daytime session at 60 locations and during 2-hr nighttime weekend periods at 240 locations. Both self-report and biological measures were taken. Biological measures included breath alcohol measurements from 9,413 respondents, oral fluid samples from 7,719 respondents, and blood samples from 3,276 respondents.Efectos de la Exposición de los Adolescentes a la Violencia en la Comunidad: El Proyecto MORE
AbstractCooley-Strickland, M., Quille, T. J., Griffin, R. S., Stuart, E. A., Bradshaw, C. P., & Furr-Holden, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Psychosocial InterventionVolume
20Issue
2Page(s)
131-148AbstractResearch on chronic community violence exposure focuses on ethnic minority, impoverished, and crime-ridden communities while treatment and prevention focuses on the perpetrators of the violence, not on the youth who are its direct or indirect victims. School-based treatment and preventive interventions are needed for children at elevated risk for exposure to community violence. This paper describes The Multiple Opportunities to Reach Excellence (MORE) Project, a longitudinal, community epidemiological study currently being fielded to better understand the impact of children's chronic exposure to community violence on their emotional, behavioral, substance use, and academic functioning with an overarching goal to identify malleable risk and protective factors which can be targeted in preventive and intervention programs.Exposure to hazardous neighborhood environments in late childhood and anxiety
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D. M., Milam, A. J., Young, K. C., Macpherson, L., & Lejuez, C. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Community PsychologyVolume
39Issue
7Page(s)
876-883AbstractThis investigation examined the relationship between living in disordered neighborhoods during childhood and anxiety 1 year later. Objective measures of neighborhood environment and individual data from a study of mental health in suburban children were utilized. Linear regression models were used to assess relationships between neighborhood hazard and anxiety. Childhood neighborhood disorder was inversely associated with generalized anxiety (β=-0.037, p<0.01) and social phobia (β=-0.33, p=0.03), but not other forms of anxiety including separation anxiety or panic disorder. We suspect that children with early exposure to disordered neighborhoods are either desensitized to toxic environments or that anxiety is not well specified for this population.Introduction to this special issue
Braithwaite, R. L., Bonhomme, J. J., & Furr-Holden, C. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Correctional Health CareVolume
17Issue
4Page(s)
292-293Neighborhood disorder and incarceration history among urban substance users
AbstractWhitaker, D., Graham, C., Furr-Holden, C. D., Milam, A., & Latimer, W. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Correctional Health CareVolume
17Issue
4Page(s)
309-318AbstractThis research examines the relationship between neighborhood physical and social disorder and incarceration history among urban drug users. A cohort of 358 African American and White urban drug users completed a clinical interview and psychological assessment that emphasized cognitive and social-behavioral HIV risk factors. The Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology was used to assess indicators of physical and social disorder. After controlling for age, gender, education, and having a place to live, multivariable analyses revealed that living in a neighborhood with moderate or high levels of disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.02, 2.59]) and drinking alcohol every day or nearly every day for 3 months or more (OR = 2.03; 95% CI [1.24, 3.31]) were associated with incarceration history. Findings suggest that select characteristics of disadvantaged communities may be important determinants of incarceration vulnerability among urban substance users. Residential improvements hold promise to enhance interventions aimed to reduce incarceration.Neighborhood incivilities, perceived neighborhood safety, and walking to school among urban-dwelling children
AbstractRossen, L. M., Pollack, K. M., Curriero, F. C., Shields, T. M., Smart, M. J., Furr-Holden, C. D. M., & Cooley-Strickland, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Physical Activity and HealthVolume
8Issue
2Page(s)
262-271AbstractBackground: Walking to school is an important source of physical activity among children. There is a paucity of research exploring environmental determinants of walking to school among children in urban areas. Methods: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data (2007) from 365 children in the "Multiple Opportunities to Reach Excellence" (MORE) Study (8 to 13 years; Mean 9.60 years, SD 1.04). Children and caregivers were asked about walking to school and perceived safety. Objective measures of the environment were obtained using a validated environmental neighborhood assessment. Results: Over half (55.83%) of children reported walking to school most of the time. High levels of neighborhood incivilities were associated with lower levels of perceived safety (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.72). Living on a block above the median in incivilities was associated with a 353% increase in odds of walking to school (OR: 3.53; 95% CI: 1.68 to 7.39). Conclusions: Children residing in neighborhoods high in incivilities are more likely to walk to school, in spite of lower levels of perceived safety. As a high proportion of children residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods walk to school, efforts should be directed at minimizing exposure to neighborhood hazards by ensuring safe routes to and from school.The growth of neighborhood disorder and marijuana use among urban adolescents: A case for policy and environmental interventions*
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D. M., Lee, M. H., Milam, A. J., Johnson, R. M., Lee, K. S., & Ialongo, N. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and DrugsVolume
72Issue
3Page(s)
371-379AbstractObjective: This study examines the growth of neighbor- hood disorder and subsequent marijuana use among urban adolescents transitioning into young adulthood. Method: Data are derived from a longitudinal sample of 434 predominately African American 12th graders followed-up at 2 years after high school. The data are rich in repeated measures documenting substance use and misuse and neighborhood characteristics. Growth mixture modeling was used to examine how neighborhood disorder trajectories, measured through the presence of abandoned buildings on the blocks where participants reside, influence subsequent drug use beginning in late adolescence and into young adult- hood. Results: A four-class solution characterizing neighborhood growth was selected as the final model and included rapidly improving, slightly improving, always-good, and deteriorating neighborhoods. Young adults living in neighborhoods that had been deteriorating over time were 30% more likely to use marijuana 2 years after high school than adolescents living in always-good neighborhoods (odds ratio = 1.30, p =.034). There was no relationship between living in a neighborhood that was improving and marijuana use. Conclusions: This study identified a salient and malleable neighborhood characteristic, abandoned housing, which predicted elevated risk for young-adult marijuana use. This research supports environmental strategies that target abandoned buildings as a means to improve health and health behaviors for community residents, particularly young-adult substance use. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 371-379, 2011).The prevalence of alcohol use disorders among night-time weekend drivers
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D., Voas, R. B., Lacey, J., Romano, E., & Jones, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
AddictionVolume
106Issue
7Page(s)
1251-1260AbstractAims The objective of this study was to establish the extent of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among drivers at risk for alcohol-related crashes. The prevalence of drivers with AUDs on US roads on weekend evenings when alcohol-related crashes are most frequent is unknown. This study will inform laws and programs designed to reduce alcohol-involved crashes. Design Interviews using a 15-item AUD questionnaire with a stratified random sample of non-commercial drivers at 60 primary sampling locations in the 48 contiguous states on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. from July to November 2007. Setting Off-road locations into which a police officer directed a random selection of motorist passing the site. Participants A total of 4614 drivers of non-commercial vehicles. Measurements AUDs, including heavy drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence. Findings Of the participating drivers, 73.7% were current drinkers (reported drinking in the last year). Among those drinkers, 14% were classifiable either as dependent drinkers or as abusive drinkers based on self-reports of drinking. Another 10% of the drivers were classified as heavy drinkers. Nearly half of the drivers in the survey who had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or higher than the 0.08g per deciliter legal limit fell into one of those three AUD categories. Conclusions Survey data suggest that the majority of high-blood alcohol concentration drivers on US roads show no clinical signs of an alcohol use disorder, but they are categorized as heavy drinkers. This suggests that environmental programs directed at reducing heavy drinking and brief behavioral interventions aimed at reducing episodes of excessive consumption have promise for reducing alcohol-related crashes.Early sexual initiation among urban african american male middle school youth in baltimore city
AbstractWhitaker, D. E., Furr-Holden, C. D., Floyd, L., Chatterjee, P., & Latimer, W. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
Electronic Journal of Human SexualityVolume
13AbstractData regarding the etiology of problem-based child and adolescent outcomes indicates neighborhood socioeconomic status, land use mix, traffic danger, availability of drugs and alcohol and collective socialization are factors that influence or confound behavior among youth in urban areas. With socio-ecological models in mind, this study examined associations between early sexual initiation and neighborhood condition, externalizing behavior, drug use and perceived peer acceptance of drug use. One hundred and fifteen African American male adolescents (ages 11 to 15) enrolled in a randomized control trial provided the data for analysis. Logistic regression models showed older age, perceived peer acceptance of drug use and externalizing behavior were predictors of early sex initiation. Although physical and social hazards as well as resource depletion in urban centers creates increased risk for poor health and social outcomes among adolescents, no neighborhood effects were found in this study. Interventions to delay sexual initiation among urban African American male adolescents may benefit from focus on both socially, and ecologically, relevant influences.Metric properties of the neighborhood inventory for environmental typology (NIfETy): An environmental assessment tool for measuring indicators of violence, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug exposures
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D., Campbell, K. D., Milam, A. J., Smart, M. J., Ialongo, N. A., & Leaf, P. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
Evaluation ReviewVolume
34Issue
3Page(s)
159-184AbstractObjectives: Establish metric properties of the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy). Method: A total of 919 residential block faces were assessed by paired raters using the NIfETy. Reliability was evaluated via interrater and internal consistency reliability; validity by comparing NIfETy data with youth self-reported violence, alcohol, and other drug exposure and crime statistics. Results: Validity and reliability metrics were moderate to exemplary for the total scale and subscales. NIfETy data correlated strongly with crime data and youth self-reported exposure. Conclusions: The NIfETy is valid and reliable. Future investigations will explore its use in other urban centers and association to other health outcomes.Perceived School and Neighborhood Safety, Neighborhood Violence and Academic Achievement in Urban School Children
AbstractMilam, A. J., Furr-Holden, C. D., & Leaf, P. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
Urban ReviewVolume
42Issue
5Page(s)
458-467AbstractCommunity and school violence continue to be a major public health problem, especially among urban children and adolescents. Little research has focused on the effect of school safety and neighborhood violence on academic performance. This study examines the effect of the school and neighborhood climate on academic achievement among a population of 3rd-5th grade students in an urban public school system. Community and school safety were assessed using the School Climate Survey, an annual City-wide assessment of student's perception of school and community safety. Community violence was measured using the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology, an objective observational assessment of neighborhood characteristics. Academic achievement was measured using the Maryland State Assessment (MSA), a standardized exam given to all Maryland 3rd-8th graders. School Climate Data and MSA data were aggregated by school and grade. Objective assessments of neighborhood environment and students' self-reported school and neighborhood safety were both strongly associated with academic performance. Increasing neighborhood violence was associated with statistically significant decreases from 4.2 to 8.7% in math and reading achievement; increasing perceived safety was associated with significant increases in achievement from 16 to 22%. These preliminary findings highlight the adverse impact of perceived safety and community violence exposure on primary school children's academic performance.Biological markers of drug use in the club setting
AbstractMiller, B. A., Furr-Holden, D., Johnson, M. B., Holder, H., Voas, R., & Keagy, C. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and DrugsVolume
70Issue
2Page(s)
261-268AbstractObjective: The prevalence of drug and alcohol use among patrons of clubs featuring electronic music dance events was determined by using biological assays at entrance and exit. Method: Using a portal methodology that randomly selects groups of patrons on arrival at clubs, oral assays for determining level and type of drug use and level of alcohol use were obtained anonymously. Patrons provided self-reported data on their personal characteristics. A total of 362 patrons were interviewed at entrance and provided oral assay data, and 277 provided data at both entrance and exit. Results: Overall, one quarter of all patrons surveyed at entrance were positive for some type of drug use. Based on our exit sample, one quarter of the sample was positive at exit. Individual drugs most prevalent at entrance or exit included cocaine, marijuana, and amphetamines/stimulants. Only the amphetamine/stimulant category increased significantly from entrance to exit. Drug-using patrons arrive at the club already using drugs; few patrons arrive with no drug use and leave with detectable levels of drug use. Clubs vary widely in drug-user prevalence at entrance and exit, suggesting that both events and club policies and practices may attract different types of patrons. Approximately one half of the total entrance sample arrived with detectable alcohol use, and nearly one fifth arrived with an estimated blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater. Based on our exit sample data, one third of patrons were intoxicated, and slightly less than one fifth were using both drugs and alcohol at exit. Clubs attract a wide array of emerging adults, with both genders and all ethnicities well represented. Clubs also attract emerging adults who are not in college and who are working full time. Conclusions: At clubs featuring electronic music dance events, drug use and/or high levels of alcohol use were detected using biological assays from patrons at entrance and exit from the clubs. Thus, these clubs present a potentially important location for prevention strategies designed to reduce the risks associated with drug and alcohol use for young people. Combined substance use may prove particularly important for prevention efforts designed to increase safety at clubs. Personal characteristics do not identify drug users, suggesting that environmental strategies for club safety may offer more promise for promoting health and safety.Community violence and youth: Affect, behavior, substance use, and academics
AbstractCooley-Strickland, M., Quille, T. J., Griffin, R. S., Stuart, E. A., Bradshaw, C. P., & Furr-Holden, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
Clinical Child and Family Psychology ReviewVolume
12Issue
2Page(s)
127-156AbstractCommunity violence is recognized as a major public health problem (WHO, World Report on Violence and Health, 2002) that Americans increasingly understand has adverse implications beyond inner-cities. However, the majority of research on chronic community violence exposure focuses on ethnic minority, impoverished, and/or crime-ridden communities while treatment and prevention focuses on the perpetrators of the violence, not on the youth who are its direct or indirect victims. School-based treatment and preventive interventions are needed for children at elevated risk for exposure to community violence. In preparation, a longitudinal, community epidemiological study, The Multiple Opportunities to Reach Excellence (MORE) Project, is being fielded to address some of the methodological weaknesses presented in previous studies. This study was designed to better understand the impact of children's chronic exposure to community violence on their emotional, behavioral, substance use, and academic functioning with an overarching goal to identify malleable risk and protective factors which can be targeted in preventive and intervention programs. This paper describes the MORE Project, its conceptual underpinnings, goals, and methodology, as well as implications for treatment and preventive interventions and future research.Toward national estimates of alcohol use disorders among drivers: results from the National Roadside Survey Pilot Program.
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D., Voas, R. B., Lacey, J., Kelley-Baker, T., Romano, E., & Smart, M. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
Traffic Injury PreventionVolume
10Issue
5Page(s)
403-409AbstractOBJECTIVE: To determine whether drivers contacted at the roadside can be screened for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Secondarily, to produce preliminary estimates of AUDs among drivers and estimate the relationship between AUD status and BAC measured at the roadside. METHODS: A two-phase survey program was undertaken. In phase 1, 206 motorists were interviewed at the roadside using a 15-item AUD Survey derived from a condensed version of the AUDADIS and the AUDIT-C. One hundred sixty-seven of these motorists were invited, for a $25 incentive, to call the research team within 48 h of the roadside assessment to repeat the questionnaire and complete a more detailed AUD assessment. Phase 2 involved a 6-state pilot test of the AUD Survey as an add-on to the 2005 National Roadside Survey Pilot Program. The setting for both phases of the survey program was US roadways on weekends between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of all eligible drivers completed the AUD questionnaire. The correlation between roadside and telephone interview results was 0.3 for alcohol abuse, 0.6 for alcohol dependence and heavy drinking, and 0.7 for binge drinking. Alcohol abuse and dependence diagnoses had 0.6 and 0.7 correlations with diagnoses derived from the full AUDADIS and the AUDIT-C had a 0.8 correlation with the full AUDIT. There was also a statistically significant and positive relationship between having a positive BAC at the roadside and meeting criteria for heavy drinking. CONCLUSIONS: AUD status can be effectively measured at the roadside. The poor reliability for alcohol abuse is related to underreporting of drinking and driving during roadside assessments, compared to telephone follow-up. Other measures of hazardous alcohol use should be used in the roadside context to measure alcohol abuse.The consequences of providing drinkers with blood alcohol concentration information on assessments of alcohol impairment and drunk-driving risk
AbstractJohnson, M. B., Voas, R. B., Kelley-Baker, T., & Furr-Holden, C. D. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2008Journal title
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and DrugsVolume
69Issue
4Page(s)
539-549AbstractObjective: We examined the effect of providing drinkers with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) information on subjective assessments of alcohol impairment and drunk-driving risk. Method: We sampled 959 drinking participants from a natural drinking environment and asked them to self-administer a personal saliva-based alcohol test. Participants then were asked to rate their alcohol impairment and to indicate whether they could drive legally under one of four BAC feedback conditions (assigned at random): (1) control condition (no BAC feedback provided before the ratings); (2) categorical BAC information (low, high, and highest risk) from the saliva test; (3) categorical BAC information corroborated by a calibrated police breath alcohol analyzer; and (4) precise (three-digit) BAC information from the breath alcohol analyzer. Results: Both control participants and participants who received precise BAC feedback gave subjective impairment ratings that correlated with actual BACs. For participants who received categorical BAC information from the saliva test, subjective impairment did not correlate with the actual BAC. Providing drinkers with BAC information, however, did help them predict more accurately if their BAC was higher than the legal BAC driving limit. Conclusions: Although BAC information can influence drinkers' assessments of alcohol impairment and drunk-driving risk, there is no strong evidence that personal saliva-based alcohol tests are particularly useful.The NIfETy method for environmental assessment of neighborhood-level indicators of violence, alcohol, and other drug exposure
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D., Smart, M. J., Pokorni, J. L., Ialongo, N. S., Leaf, P. J., Holder, H. D., & Anthony, J. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2008Journal title
Prevention ScienceVolume
9Issue
4Page(s)
245-255AbstractThere are limited validated quantitative assessment methods to measure features of the built and social environment that might form the basis for environmental preventive interventions. This study describes a model approach for epidemiologic assessment of suspected environmental determinants of violence, alcohol and other drug (VAOD) exposure and fills this gap in current research. The investigation sought to test the feasibility of a systematic and longitudinal assessment of residential block characteristics related to physical and social disorder and indicators of VAOD exposure. Planometric data were used to establish a stratified random sample of street segments within defined neighborhoods of an urban metropolitan area. Field rater assessments of these neighborhood street segments were conducted using the Neighborhood Inventory for Environmental Typology (NIfETy). This report provides a detailed description of the NIfETy Method, including metric properties of the NIfETy Instrument and outcomes of training procedures and quality control measures. Also presented are block-level characteristics and estimates of observable signs of VAOD activity. This work is a first step toward developing future community-level environmental preventive interventions geared to reduce community VAOD exposure among youthful urban populations and may prove to be useful to other public health research groups as well.Multimethod measurement of high-risk drinking locations: Extending the portal survey method with follow-up telephone interviews
AbstractKelley-Baker, T., Voas, R. B., Johnson, M. B., Furr-Holden, C. D. M., & Compton, C. (n.d.).Publication year
2007Journal title
Evaluation ReviewVolume
31Issue
5Page(s)
490-507AbstractPortal survey techniques involve multimodal assessments (e.g., self-report, biologic, and observational) in high-risk drinking and drug-use settings. Our investigation expanded the portal survey methodology to include follow-up assessments of emerging adult women recruited at the border as they cross to and from Mexico south of San Diego, California. The feasibility of the follow-up procedure was established, and the limitations of the technique clarified. Follow-up participants and nonparticipants did not differ by age or reported victimization. Data indicated that 8% of women experience negative events on their return to the United States after a night of binge drinking. These experiences could only be captured in a follow-up survey, as they happened after participants left the border area.Drinking status and fatal crashes: Which drinkers contribute most to the problem?
AbstractVoas, R. B., Romano, E., Tippetts, A. S., & Furr-Holden, C. D. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Journal of Studies on AlcoholVolume
67Issue
5Page(s)
722-729AbstractObjective: The object of this study was to estimate the relative contribution of various classes of drinkers (including those with alcohol-use disorders) to alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle crashes. Method: Using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions conducted in 2000, the percentage of state residents falling into six nonoverlapping alcohol-user categories-dependent drinkers, abusive drinkers, dependent and abusive drinkers, heavy episodic drinkers, current normative drinkers, and current nondrinkers-was determined based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, classifications. The percentage of residents in each state in each of these user categories and their relationships to the number of drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes in that state were determined through regression analysis using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Results: The proportion of drinkers in a state in each of the six consumption categories was positively related to the number of drinking drivers in fatal crashes in that state. Conversely, the percentage of the state's population who were current nondrinkers was negatively related to the number of drinking road users in crashes. Conclusions: Although alcohol abusive and heavy episodic drinkers had substantially higher associations with impaired drivers in fatal crashes, half of such drivers were associated with the percentage of current nominative drinkers in the state. Despite the relevancy of these findings, they must be qualified by statistical limitations associated with the use of state as the unit of analysis.Drug and alcohol-impaired driving among electronic music dance event attendees
AbstractFurr-Holden, D., Voas, R. B., Kelley-Baker, T., & Miller, B. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Drug and alcohol dependenceVolume
85Issue
1Page(s)
83-86AbstractBackground: Drug-impaired driving has received increased attention resulting from development of rapid drug-screening procedures used by police and state laws establishing per se limits for drug levels in drivers. Venues that host electronic music dance events (EMDEs) provide a unique opportunity to assess drug-impaired driving among a high proportion of young adult drug users. EMDEs are late-night dance parties marked by a substantial number of young adult attendees and elevated drug involvement. No studies to date have examined drug-impaired driving in a natural environment with active drug and alcohol users. Methods: Six EMDEs were sampled in San Diego, California, and Baltimore, Maryland. A random sample of approximately 40 attendees per event were administered surveys about alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and driving status, given breath tests for alcohol, and asked to provide oral fluid samples to test for illicit drug use upon entering and exiting the events. Results: Driving status reduced the level of alcohol use (including abstaining) but the impact on drug-taking was not significant. However, 62% of individuals who reported their intention to drive away from the events were positive for drugs or alcohol upon leaving. This suggests that these events and settings are appropriate ones for developing interventions for reducing risks for young adults.Portal surveys of time-out drinking locations: A tool for studying binge drinking and AOD use
AbstractVoas, R. B., Furr-Holden, D., Lauer, E., Bright, K., Johnson, M. B., & Miller, B. (n.d.).Publication year
2006Journal title
Evaluation ReviewVolume
30Issue
1Page(s)
44-65AbstractPortal surveys, defined as assessments occurring proximal to the entry point to a high-risk locale and immediately on exit, can be used in different settings to measure characteristics and behavior of attendees at an event of interest. This methodology has been developed to assess alcohol and other drug (AOD) use at specific events and has included measuring intentions to use collected at entry and reported use on exit, as well as chemical tests for AOD consumption at both entrance and exit. Recent applications of the portal survey procedure to electronic music dance events that occur in established venues (e.g., bars or nightclubs) are discussed.Emerging adults' substance use and risky behaviors in club settings
AbstractMiller, B. A., Furr-Holden, C. D., Voas, R. B., & Bright, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2005Journal title
Journal of Drug IssuesVolume
35Issue
2Page(s)
357-378AbstractThis article explores the prevalence of drug and alcohol use and related risks by attendees at electronic music dance events (EMDEs) in club settings. From six events located on the East and West Coasts, anonymous data were collected via self-report questionnaires, drug bioassays, and alcohol breath tests prior to entry (N = 240) and upon exit from the venues (N = 219). EMDEs were locations for identifying young adults who were aged 18 to 25 (70%), not college students (54%), and at risk for substance use. Nearly half of the sample (45%) were positive for drug use, and 60% were positive for alcohol use at entrance. Slightly more than one third (38%) were positive for drug use, and 59% were positive for alcohol use at exit. Only a small percentage of the sample converted from no use to drug use on premises (5.4%). Future investigations need to explore targeted substance use prevention strategies within this context.Developmentally inspired drug prevention: Middle school outcomes in a school-based randomized prevention trial
AbstractFurr-Holden, C. D. M., Ialongo, N. S., Anthony, J. C., Petras, H., & Kellam, S. G. (n.d.).Publication year
2004Journal title
Drug and alcohol dependenceVolume
73Issue
2Page(s)
149-158AbstractPrior investigations have linked behavioral competencies in primary school to a reduced risk of later drug involvement. In this randomized prevention trial, we sought to quantify the potential early impact of two developmentally inspired universal preventive interventions on the risk of early-onset alcohol, inhalant, tobacco, and illegal drug use through early adolescence. Participants were recruited as they entered first grade within nine schools of an urban public school system. Approximately, 80% of the sample was followed from first to eighth grades. Two theory-based preventive interventions, (1) a family-school partnership (FSP) intervention and (2) a classroom-centered (CC) intervention, were developed to improve early risk behaviors in primary school. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) multivariate response profile regressions were used to estimate the relative profiles of drug involvement for intervention youths versus controls, i.e. youth in the standard educational setting. Relative to control youths, intervention youths were less likely to use tobacco, with modestly stronger evidence of protection associated with the CC intervention (RR=0.5; P=0.008) as compared to protection associated with the FSP intervention (RR=0.6; P=0.042). Intervention status was not associated with risk of starting alcohol, inhalants, or marijuana use, but assignment to the CC intervention was associated with reduced risk of starting to use other illegal drugs by early adolescence, i.e. heroin, crack, and cocaine powder (RR=0.32, P=0.042). This study adds new evidence on intervention-associated reduced risk of starting illegal drug use. In the context of 'gateway' models, the null evidence on marijuana is intriguing and merits attention in future investigations.