Social networks and drug use among low-income students in high-performing schools

描述（由申请人提供）：社交网络越来越被认为是健康行为的重要决定因素，包括青少年使用大麻和其他药物。虽然关于社会网络如何影响行为的知识正在迅速扩大，但将这些发现转化为可操作的卫生干预措施或政策是困难的。然而，学校环境可能是一个潜在的可改变的因素，对社会网络和青少年健康行为有很大的影响。在这个提议的研究中，我们将利用自然实验来检验成功的公立特许学校对社交网络和大麻使用的影响。特许学校在美国迅速增加，主要是在低收入社区。虽然并非所有的特许经营都取得了成功，但许多特许经营，特别是那些由大型特许经营组织经营的特许经营，在提高学习成绩方面卓有成效。其中最大的两个组织，绿点和联盟，在洛杉矶拥有30多所学校，每年为数千名低收入的少数族裔学生提供服务。这些学校的毕业率为85% -100%，而附近的公立学校只有50%，标准化考试成绩比附近的公立学校高2.5个标准差。尽管这些学校对学生的学业成绩有明显的影响，但对社会网络和健康行为的影响尚未得到研究。由于这些学校的录取是基于随机抽签，而忽略了人口统计或以前的学习成绩，因此绿点和联盟学校为进行自然实验提供了完美的环境。我们建议进行一项为期4年的纵向研究，抽样调查申请绿点或联盟特许学校的八年级学生。我们将随机选择被学校录取的学生（实验组）与未被录取的学生（对照组）进行比较。我们将在4年的时间里跟踪自然实验队列，探索社会网络是如何随着时间的推移而形成和演变的，以及它们在两个截然不同的学术环境中与大麻使用和其他危险健康行为的关系。我们将研究高绩效特许高中对学生社交网络、大麻使用和其他危险行为（酒精、烟草和其他药物使用、性活动和暴力）的影响。我们还将研究社交网络是否在这些学校对大麻使用和其他危险行为的影响中起到中介作用。如果成功的学校像假设的那样影响大麻的使用，那么拟议的研究结果将提供非凡和令人信服的证据，证明不仅可以实现教育改革，而且这种改革对社会有广泛的好处，包括更好的健康。这些结果可以激发新的研究和努力，通过教育改革和改变社会网络来改善健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social networks are increasingly being recognized as an important determinant of health behaviors, including use of marijuana and other drugs among adolescents. While knowledge about how social networks influence behaviors is expanding rapidly, translating these findings into actionable health interventions or policies is difficult. However, the school environment may be a potentially modifiable factor that has a strong impact on social networks and on adolescent health behaviors. In this proposed study, we will take advantage of a natural experiment and examine the impact of successful public charter schools on social networks and marijuana use. Charter schools have rapidly multiplied in the U.S., primarily in low-income communities. While not all have been successful, many, particularly those run by larger charter management organizations, have been effective in raising academic performance. Two of the largest organizations, Green Dot and Alliance, have more than 30 schools in Los Angeles, serving several thousand low-income, minority students annually. These schools have graduation rates of 85-100% compared to 50% at nearby public schools, and standardized tests scores 2.5 standard deviations higher than nearby public schools. Despite the clear impact of these schools on students' academic achievement, the impact on social networks and health behaviors has not been studied. Because admission to these schools is based on a random lottery that ignores demographics or previous academic performance, Green Dot and Alliance schools provide a perfect setting in which to conduct a natural experiment. We propose a 4-year longitudinal study, sampling among 8th grade students who apply to one of several Green Dot or Alliance charter schools. We will compare those who are randomly chosen for admission to the school (Experimental Group) with those who are not selected for admission (Control Group). We will follow the natural experimental cohort over 4 years exploring how social networks form and evolve over time and how they are related to marijuana use and other risky health behaviors in two very different academic environments. We will examine the impact of high-performing charter high schools on student's social networks and on use of marijuana and other risky behaviors (alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, sexual activity, and violence). We will also examine whether social networks acts as a mediator in the impact of these schools on marijuana use and other risky behaviors. If successful schools influences marijuana use as hypothesized, the results of the proposed study will provide extraordinary and compelling evidence that not only can education reform be achieved, but also that such reform has a wide range of benefits to society including better health. These results could stimulate new research and efforts on ways to improve health through education reform and also through changing social networks.