A different kind of contextual effect: geographical clustering of cocaine incidence in the USA

Revisiting causal neighborhood effects on individual ischemic heart disease risk: A quasi-experimental multilevel analysis among Swedish siblings

“…General contextual effects are assessed by measures of variance and clustering rather than by measures of association (Merlo, 2003;Merlo J et al, 2012;Merlo et al, 2009;Merlo et al, 2001;Petronis & Anthony, 2003;Subramanian SV et al, 2007). We aimed to quantify the extent to which the SAMS we use for delimiting the neighborhood context conditioned individual IHD risk without specifying any contextual characteristic other than the very boundaries we used for defining the SAMS' context .…”

“…Moreover the conventional study of specific contextual effects described above (i.e., the analysis of the association between specific neighborhood level variables and individual outcomes), we also intended to investigate general contextual effects that are estimated by measures of variance and clustering rather than by measures of association (Merlo, 2003;Merlo J et al, 2012;Merlo et al, 2009;Merlo et al, 2001;Petronis & Anthony, 2003;Subramanian SV et al, 2007). The study of general contextual effects shows the extent to which the geographical constructs we use for delimiting the neighborhood context (i.e., parishes, Swedish small-area market statistics, blocks, postal code areas, census tracts, etc.)…”

Bringing the individual back to small-area variation studies: A multilevel analysis of all-cause mortality in Andalusia, Spain

“…Beyond the conventional study of specific contextual effects (i.e., measures of association between particular contextual variables and individual outcomes), the use of multilevel regression and analogous techniques of analyses (Katz et al, 1993) has allowed us to identify general contextual effects that are based on measures of variance and clustering rather than on measures of association (Merlo, 2003;Merlo et al, 2009;Merlo et al, 2001;Petronis & Anthony, 2003;Subramanian SV et al, 2007). However, while the explicit distinction between these two types of effects enriches our understanding on contextual influences on individual health, this approach is still rather infrequent in social epidemiology ).…”

Predictors of frequent use of amphetamine type stimulants among HIV-negative gay men in Sydney, Australia

“…Understandably, most research conducted to date has considered possible causal influences of drug use upon sexual risk. Sexual risk, and other factors, may, however, also influence drug use: Research has documented the impact of social networks, environments and neighbourhoods upon both the types and likelihood of drug use (Petronis and Anthony 2003;Storr, Chen et al 2004). Green and Halkitis (2006) argue that methamphetamine in particular is used by gay men in more sexually adventurous subcultures specifically to enhance and enable their sexual experiences, some of which may include risk behaviours.…”