Where is the ‘Where?’ in Considerations of Treatment for Drug Abuse?

Excerpt

Substance abuse has been a major urban health problem, and in response, drug abuse treatment programs have been developed. Retention in programs is key to their effectiveness, yet attrition is a well recognized problem in this area. Most of the research on drug treatment programs attrition/retention rates examined individual level factors of the patients in treatment and less so provider level. Data on possible ecological or neighborhood factors relating to attrition/retention are sparse. However, such factors would seem promising to consider as neighborhood-level investigations have identified factors that influence illicit drug use. For example, a recent study reported that neighborhood disadvantage is an independent predictor of drug use, especially for individuals with lower incomes.1 In this issue of the Journal of Urban Health, Jacobson extends conceptual thinking about contextual factors that may influence drug treatment retention2 and undertakes the first quantitative exploration assessing “appropriateness” of treatment locations.3 …