Residential Proximity to Electronic Dance Music Nightclubs and Associations with Substance Use, Sexual Behaviors, and Related Problems

Sexual health literacy and preventive behaviors among middle-school students in a rural area during the COVID-19 situation: A mixed methods study

Background: This study explored the association between sexual health literacy (SHL) and preventive behaviors of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among middle-school students during the COVID-19 outbreak to aid in the development of an informative program.

Methods: Mixed-method study with stratified two-stage cluster sampling was used to obtain 730 students from 20 middle schools in a rural province of Thailand. Online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from February 2020 to February 2021. Two brainstorming sessions were conducted with a purposeful sample of 25 stakeholders. Multiple linear regressions were used to assess the relationships.

Results: The associated significant factors with the preventive behaviors were sex (b=2.06, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.05), nightlife (b=-2.33, 95% CI: -3.99, -0.67), drinking alcoholic beverages (b=2.24, 95% CI: -3.24, -1.23), sexual intercourse experience (b=-2.64, 95% CI: -4.56, -0.72), and SHL (b=0.12, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.16). The stakeholders recommended an edutainment online program via Facebook.

Conclusion: This study investigated factors associated with SHL and preventive behaviors among middle school students. The most effective variable in this model was SHL. Therefore, a trial of an online program emphasizing SHL improvement should be examined for effectiveness among these students and seems appropriate, considering their rural area context and middle-school status.

Ride hailing app use and drunk/drugged driving among young adult nightclub patrons

OBJECTIVE

Nightclub patrons who consume alcohol and drugs in these venues would appear to be an important population to target with on-demand ride hailing app (RHA) services to reduce drunk/drugged driving (DUI). The present study is an exploratory examination of RHA use to avoid DUI behavior, as well as the perceived barriers and benefits of such RHA use, among young adult nightclub patrons in Miami who use drugs.

METHODS

Completers of a 2011-2015 randomized controlled trial of brief interventions to reduce health risk behaviors among young adult nightclub patrons were recruited to participate in a single self-administered computer-assisted interview about health risks, driving behaviors, and RHA perceptions and use. Recruitment (N = 123) began in June 2016 and ended in July 2017. Bivariable logistic regression and ANOVA models examined group differences between: (a) those who had used an RHA to avoid DUI vs. not; and (b) those who used RHAs as their primary mode of transportation to nightclubs vs. not.

RESULTS

About half were female (52.8%); median age was 29; 59.4% Hispanic, 31.7% Black, 8.1% white, 0.8% other race/ethnicity. Recent alcohol and marijuana use were almost universally endorsed, and more than half reported recent use/misuse of cocaine (72.4%), MDMA (63.4%), and prescription benzodiazepines (62.6%) and opioids (56.9%). More than 80% reported driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs in the past 12 months, and 17.1% experienced a DUI arrest in the prior two years. Almost two-thirds (65.9%) of participants had used an on-demand RHA to avoid DUI, but self-driving or riding in another's car were the most common (76.4%) primary modes of transportation to clubs. RHAs were the primary mode of travel to clubs for 21 (17.1%) respondents. Participants whose friends strongly disapproved of DUI were more than twice as likely to have used RHAs for this reason compared to those who had not done so. Those reporting RHA use to avoid DUI were less likely than others to have driven under the influence in the past 12 months and were somewhat more likely to endorse DUI-related risks. Those who used alternate modes of transportation were more likely than those who used RHAs as their primary mode of transportation to clubs to endorse the expense of RHAs and the lack of RHA drivers near their favorite clubs as barriers to RHA use to travel to nightclubs.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel study among a high-risk population points to the potential for on-demand RHAs to reduce DUI behaviors and arrests among young adult nightclub patrons who consume alcohol and/or drugs in the context of the club experience. Our findings point to key educational, peer support, and structural targets for intervention to increase the use of RHAs among this population, specifically, club-based incentives for increasing RHA availability and affordability. Research is needed to fully elucidate the findings of this exploratory study, including potential differences in intervention approaches depending on the location-specific public transportation options.

Music and substance use: A meta-analytic review

While previous research has documented a relation between music and substance use among consumers, to date, there are no meta-analytic reviews of the literature, making our meta-analysis the first in this area. Results from 31 studies, yielding a total of 330,652, indicated that music had a significant effect on substance use, with both music format and genre being significant contributors. The effect of music on substance use also varied by substance type. In addition, participant biological sex and location of data collection were found to moderate the effect of music on substance use. Theoretical implications are discussed along with directions for future research.