Sylvia Kairouz

Multilevel analysis of situational drinking among Canadian undergraduates

Using a multi-level approach, we examined the contribution of drinking setting characteristics and of individual characteristics on the alcohol intake per drinking occasion. The data are drawn from the Canadian Campus Survey, a national mail survey conducted in 1998 with a random sample of 8,864 students in 18 universities. For each student, up to five drinking occasions were investigated, resulting in 26,348 drinking occasions among 6,850 drinkers. At the individual level this study focused on the university life experience. At the situational level, information about alcohol intake was recorded relative to why, when, where and with whom drinking occurred. Our results show that drinking setting is as important as the individual characteristics in explaining the alcohol intake per occasion. Policies aimed at reducing students alcohol intake may be more beneficial if they address both situational and individual factors.

Schools, students and heavy drinking: a multilevel analysis

Using a multilevel approach, this article examines the association of individual and school environment with heavy drinking of high school students. Using data from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (a random sample of 2984 students from 72 high schools participated in the survey), our results show (1) that 11% of the total variance in heavy drinking is situated at the school level, (2) that both student and school characteristics are predictive of heavy drinking, and (3) that the effect of both school and student variables are additive. Policies addressing students excessive drinking will be more beneficial by jointly targeting both student and school risk factors.

Abstinence and Well-Being Among Members of Alcoholics Anonymous: Personal Experience and Social Perceptions

Abstract The authors examined the subjective experience of well-being (WB) among abstinent Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members and social perceptions of an abstinent alcoholics WB among 3 nonalcoholic French-Canadian samples: male police officers, Catholic nuns, and university women. The short-term abstinent AA members, along with the university women, reported the lowest self-ratings of WB, whereas the Catholic nuns reported the highest. However, among the abstinent AA members, the level of WB was positively related to the length of abstention. The 3 nonalcoholic groups evaluated an abstinent AA member more positively than a nonabstinent alcoholic. These evaluations of an abstinent AA member converged with the AA members self-evaluations on the measure of WB.

Area variations in the prevalence of substance use and gambling behaviours and problems in Quebec: a multilevel analysis.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether variations among regions in Quebec existed after we controlled for individual characteristics in the prevalence of 1) alcohol, cannabis, and gambling behaviours and 2) substance-related disorders and pathological gambling. Methods: Using data derived from the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2), we nested 5332 respondents from the province of Quebec within 374 regions equivalent to census subdivisions (CSDs). Outcome variables included 1) drinking status (past 12 months), alcohol consumption (last week), and 12-month diagnosis of alcohol dependence; 2) cannabis use (past 12 months and lifetime) and diagnosis of illicit drug dependence; and 3) gambling status, severity of gambling problems, and number of reported gambling activities (past 12 months). Multilevel regression models with individuals (Level 1) nested in regions (CSDs, Level 2) assessed the variations among regions in the prevalence of various outcomes and disorders when individual characteristics were controlled for. Results: Variance component models revealed that all alcohol-related variables, the prevalence of cannabis use (12 months), and problem gambling did not vary among areas. Gambling rates and the average number of reported gambling activities varied among areas, even when individual-level variables were accounted for in the models, whereas for lifetime cannabis use, variations among areas became nonsignificant. Conclusion: Intervention programs may need to address the environment as a relevant determinant of health-related behaviours and lifestyles.

Adverse effects of a social contract smoking prevention program among children in Québec, Canada

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a smoke-free class competition in elementary schools in Québec, Canada before widespread dissemination of the program across the province. Methods: In a quasiexperimental study design, 843 students in 27 schools exposed to “Mission TNT.06” were compared to 1213 students in 57 matched comparison schools. Baseline data were collected in grade 6 prior to implementation of the program. Follow-up data were collected in grade 7 after students had transitioned to secondary school. Results: The program improved knowledge about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, but had no impact on knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking, attitudes about the acceptability of cigarettes, beliefs about the tobacco industry, or self-efficacy to resist peer pressure to smoke. After exposure to the program, intervention students were more likely to misreport their smoking status and to report unfavourable attitudes about classmates who smoke. Conclusion: Mission TNT.06 may encourage young smokers to misreport their smoking status and to marginalise classmates who smoke. These findings prompted recommendations to conduct more in-depth evaluation of the smoke-free class competition before widespread dissemination of the program across the province.