COCAINE USE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG-ADULT USERS FROM 1987 TO 1992 - THE CARDIA STUDY

Objectives. This study examined the relationship of sociodemographic f actors and use of substances-other than cocaine to cocaine use from 19 87 to 1992 in a cohort of Black and white men and women 20 to 32 years of age. Methods. Data Were collected as part of the Coronary Artery R isk Development in Young Adults study. Self-reported cocaine ruse was analyzed through chi-square tests and repeated measures analyses of va riance tb determine the bivariate and multivariate relationships of so ciodemographics and substance use behaviors to cocaine-use over-the 5- year period. Results. Cocaine use declined in whites but remained stab le in Blacks from 1987 to 1992. Cross-sectional results showed that us e was related to being Black, male and in the older half of the cohort , single, and unemployed; it was also related to higher levels of othe r substance use in 1987 and 1992. Over time, the magnitude and strengt h of the relationship were consistent for each variable except for inc reased odds of cocaine use among the unemployed and Blacks in 1992. Co nclusions. Sociodemographic characteristics and substance use behavior consistently identify individuals at risk for cocaine-use. As a resul t, intervention programs should he targeted at these high-risk groups.