Geographic ecological momentary assessment methods to examine spatio-temporal exposures associated with marijuana use among young adults: A pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundThis study demonstrates the use of geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) methods among young adult marijuana users. MethodParticipants were 14 current marijuana users ages 21–27 living in Greater Seattle, Washington. They completed brief surveys four times per day for 14 consecutive days, including measures of marijuana use and desire to use. They also carried a GPS data logger that tracked their spatial movements over time. ResultsParticipants completed 80.1% of possible EMA surveys. Using the GPS data, we calculated daily number of exposures to (i.e., within 100-m of) marijuana retail outlets (mean = 3.9 times per day; SD = 4.4) and time spent per day in high poverty census tracts (mean = 7.3 h per day in high poverty census tracts; SD = 5.1). ConclusionsGEMA may be a promising approach for studying the role spatio-temporal factors play in marijuana use and related factors.