Local Accommodation & Food Services Sector and Substance Use/Misuse Among Young U.S. Workforce: Exploring Employment Condition and Behavioral Mediators

Background and Purpose: Workers in the accommodation and food services (A&FS) sector experience disproportionately high risks of substance use due to unstable schedules, low wages, precarious working conditions, and the emotional demands of customer‑facing service labor. A&FS jobs are among the most precarious in the U.S. labor market, yet little is known about how the local concentration of A&FS jobs and individual employment in frontline A&FS occupations under adverse employment conditions together shape substance use patterns among young adults. This study investigates multilevel pathways linking county‑level A&FS job share, individual frontline A&FS employment, and employment‑ and psychologically based mediators to substance use and misuse outcomes.

Methods: Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) and linked with county‑level industry‑specific job count data (n = 6,492). Using generalized structural equation models, we examined direct and indirect associations between county‑level A&FS job share and three binary substance‑use outcomes—past‑month binge drinking, past‑year marijuana use, and past‑year illicit drug use—with continuous frequency measures included as supplemental outcomes. Mediators included employment in frontline A&FS occupations, precarious employment conditions (PECs)—a composite index reflecting non‑regular work schedules, underemployment, and low wages—and psychological distress measured using the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI‑5). All models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and incorporated longitudinal sampling weights to ensure generalizability.

Results: Individuals residing in counties with a larger A&FS sector were more likely to work in frontline A&FS occupations (b = 0.085, p < 0.001), and frontline employment was associated with elevated PEC (b = 0.076, p < 0.001) and higher psychological distress (b = 0.066, p < 0.05). For past‑month binge drinking, both employment in frontline A&FS occupations and psychological distress were positively associated with increased risk, whereas PECs demonstrated an inverse association. For marijuana use, frontline A&FS employment and psychological distress were positively associated with use, while PECs were nonsignificant. For past‑year illicit drug use, frontline A&FS employment was nonsignificant, but both PECs (b = 0,910, p < 0.01) and psychological distress (b = 0.974, p < 0.001) were positively strong associated with use. Similar patterns were observed for the frequency measures of each substance use/misuse outcome, supporting consistent pathways across prevalence and frequency metrics.

Conclusions and Implications: Employment in the A&FS sector is an important driver of substance use among young adults, operating through both precarious working conditions and heightened psychological distress. Social work practice and policy should prioritize interventions that improve schedule predictability, strengthen job stability, reduce wage precarity, and integrate behavioral health supports within A&FS workplaces. At the community level, monitoring the concentration of low‑quality service‑sector jobs may help identify areas with heightened vulnerability to substance use. Additionally, workforce‑focused behavioral health interventions may be essential to addressing substance‑use risks in the hospitality and food‑service sectors.