How teenagers perceived their neighborhood mattered more than census-based measures of disadvantage when it came to predicting cannabis and nicotine vaping over two years.
Public health professionals, parents, and researchers interested in what drives adolescent cannabis vaping.
Teens with high perceived but low objective disadvantage had 2.04x the risk of cannabis vaping
What the researchers found
Subjective neighborhood disorder (how teens perceived their area) was significantly associated with both cannabis vaping (RR=1.04 per unit increase) and nicotine vaping (RR=1.04). Census-derived area deprivation showed no independent association. Teens with both high perceived and high objective disadvantage had 1.73 times the risk of nicotine vaping, while those with high perceived but low objective disadvantage had 2.04 times the risk of cannabis vaping.
Why it matters
Public health interventions often target neighborhoods based on census data, but this study suggests that how teens experience their environment may be a stronger predictor of vaping behavior than objective economic indicators.
The numbers in context
3,278 students, mean baseline age 15.7 years, followed across 5 waves over 2 years. Subjective neighborhood disorder: RR=1.04 for both cannabis and nicotine vaping. High subjective + high objective disadvantage: RR=1.73 for nicotine vaping. High subjective + low objective disadvantage: RR=2.04 for cannabis vaping. Correlation between subjective and objective measures was weak (r=0.27).
How the study worked
Prospective cohort of 3,278 Southern California high school students followed across five semi-annual waves (2022-2024). Baseline measures of subjective neighborhood disorder and census-derived area deprivation index were linked to repeated measures of past-30-day cannabis and nicotine vaping.
What this study cannot tell us
Limited to Southern California, which may not generalize nationally. Vaping was self-reported. The weak correlation between subjective and objective measures raises questions about what subjective scales actually capture.
How to read the evidence
Moderate: prospective design with large sample and repeated measures, though limited to one region and reliant on self-report.
When this study was published
2025 study using 2022-2024 data.
The bigger picture
This adds to evidence that subjective experiences of one's environment can shape health behaviors independently of objective conditions, suggesting prevention programs should consider how youth perceive their surroundings.
Questions still open
- Why did teens in objectively less disadvantaged areas but with high perceived disadvantage have the highest cannabis vaping risk? What specific aspects of perceived neighborhood disorder drive vaping behavior?
Common questions
Does living in a poor neighborhood make teens more likely to vape?
How many waves of data were collected?
Read the original research
Prospective associations of subjective and objective neighborhood disadvantage with cannabis and nicotine vaping among Southern California adolescents.
Health & place, 96, 103577
Citation
Li, Danyi; Eckel, Sandrah P; Sanchez, Louisiana M; Pentz, Mary Ann; Harlow, Alyssa F. (2025). Prospective associations of subjective and objective neighborhood disadvantage with cannabis and nicotine vaping among Southern California adolescents.. Health & place, 96, 103577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103577
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