Manhattan residents increased their use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana in the weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, according to a study appearing in the June 1, 2002, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. The study also found that individuals who increased their use of cigarettes and marijuana were more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than those who did not.
The study was conducted by David Vlahov, PhD, and his colleagues at The New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Vlahov is director of the Academy’s Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies and an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The researchers conducted a random-digit dial telephone survey of 988 Manhattan residents five to eight weeks following the attacks. According to the study, 28.8 percent of the survey participants reported an increased use of alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana. The researchers found drinking increased by 24.6 percent among participants, cigarette smoking increased 9.7 percent, and marijuana use increased 3.2 percent during the survey period.
The New York Academy of Medicine Press Release
Complete text of the report (in Adobe Acrobat) American Journal of Epidemiology
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