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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
How Has The Opioid Crisis Affected Health, Health Care Use, And Crime In The United States?, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Justine Mallatt, Christopher J. Ruhm, Kosali Simon
How Has The Opioid Crisis Affected Health, Health Care Use, And Crime In The United States?, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Justine Mallatt, Christopher J. Ruhm, Kosali Simon
Population Health Research Brief Series
The U.S. opioid crisis is the deadliest drug crisis in the nation’s history and is not abating. This brief summarizes what is known about the relationships between opioid misuse, health, healthcare use, and crime. The authors show that the opioid crisis has led to worsening health, increased mortality, increased healthcare use, and modest increases in crime. In addition, the policies designed to curb opioid misuse and its associated harms have had only limited success.
Opioid Treatment Programs Can Reduce Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits And Foster Care Placements, Lindsey Rose Bullinger, Vivian Wang, Kenneth A. Feder
Opioid Treatment Programs Can Reduce Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits And Foster Care Placements, Lindsey Rose Bullinger, Vivian Wang, Kenneth A. Feder
Population Health Research Brief Series
The U.S. opioid epidemic has led not only to unprecedented increases in opioid overdoses, functional impairment, and deaths among adults but also harmed children. After lifting a long-standing moratorium on drug treatment programs and increasing the number of medication-assisted opioid treatment programs (OTPs), Indiana saw a decrease in emergency overdose treatments and foster care placements. This brief explores the positive effects of medication-assisted treatments on children and their caregivers and the cost savings for foster care agencies.
Which Demographic Groups And Which Places Have The Highest Drug Overdose Rates In The U.S.?, Shannon M. Monnat
Which Demographic Groups And Which Places Have The Highest Drug Overdose Rates In The U.S.?, Shannon M. Monnat
Population Health Research Brief Series
Although the drug overdose crisis has affected all demographic groups and places in the United States, overdose rates are much higher in some sub-populations and places than others. This brief describes demographic and geographic differences in fatal drug overdose rates from 1999-2020. Throughout most of this period, fatal drug overdose rates were highest among young and middle-aged adult White and Native American males and middle-aged and older Black males. Rates have been consistently highest in Appalachia, but in recent years have spread throughout several regions in urban and rural areas alike. Although opioids have been the main contributor, cocaine- and …
Federal Medication-Assisted Treatment Expansion Grants Do Not Reduce Homelessness, Andrew Sullivan, Changwe Park
Federal Medication-Assisted Treatment Expansion Grants Do Not Reduce Homelessness, Andrew Sullivan, Changwe Park
Population Health Research Brief Series
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is an evidence-based intervention that, combined with counseling and behavioral therapies, can effectively treat opioid use disorders. However, MAT is underused due to multiple barriers. To increase access to MAT, the U.S. government awarded grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to increase and retain the number of people receiving MAT. This brief examined differences in homelessness and employment outcomes between places that received a MAT grant and those that did not. They found that these grants did not reduce homelessness or unemployment rates in the places that received funding and concluded that their effectiveness may have …
The Oxycontin® Reformulation In 2010 Increased States’ Food Insecurity Rates, Colleen Heflin, Xiaohan Sun
The Oxycontin® Reformulation In 2010 Increased States’ Food Insecurity Rates, Colleen Heflin, Xiaohan Sun
Population Health Research Brief Series
The massive surge in opioid misuse and overdose over the past three decades has led to major family, economic, and social disruptions in the United States. OxyContin® - a highly potent, extended-release opioid was among the most commonly-abused narcotics throughout the 2000s. After reformulating OxyContin® to make it more difficult to inhale or inject, many people with opioid use disorders switched to using street drugs. The reformulation had many other unanticipated consequences. This brief shows that states with higher initial OxyContin® misuse rates had an increase in food insecurity after OxyContin® reformulation. The authors argue that public policies must consider …
How Has The Opioid Overdose Crisis Affected Child Maltreatment In The U.S.?, Alexander Chapman
How Has The Opioid Overdose Crisis Affected Child Maltreatment In The U.S.?, Alexander Chapman
Population Health Research Brief Series
This brief summarizes results from a study examining the association between U.S. county-level opioid mortality rates and child maltreatment rates from 2007 to 2017. Places with higher opioid overdose mortality rates have higher rates of child maltreatment. Poverty makes this problem worse - where the proportion of families in poverty increases, the association between fatal opioid overdose rates and child maltreatment also increases. Findings suggest that intervening in opioid use by reducing poverty has the potential to markedly decrease the incidence of child maltreatment.
Over Two-Thirds Of Opioid Overdose Victims In Canada Were Employed Before They Died, Alexander Cheung, Joseph Marchand, Patricia Mark
Over Two-Thirds Of Opioid Overdose Victims In Canada Were Employed Before They Died, Alexander Cheung, Joseph Marchand, Patricia Mark
Population Health Research Brief Series
As in the United States, drug overdose is the leading cause of unnatural death in Canada, with most overdoses involving opioids. The authors of this brief quantify the lost labor productivity from opioid overdoses in Canada. They show that from 2016 to 2019, over two-thirds of opioid overdose victims were working and contributing to the economy before they died, with those employed in construction, trades, and transportation having the highest opioid overdose rates. The authors argue that destigmatizing drug use, ensuring a safe supply, and improving access to medical care and take-home Naloxone kits are critical for reducing overdose deaths.
The Opioid Epidemic Has Disrupted Children’S Living Arrangements, Mónica L. Caudillo, Andres Villarreal, Philip N. Cohen
The Opioid Epidemic Has Disrupted Children’S Living Arrangements, Mónica L. Caudillo, Andres Villarreal, Philip N. Cohen
Population Health Research Brief Series
The contemporary drug overdose crisis has had profound impacts on children and families in the United States. This brief summarizes how children’s living arrangements have changed during the opioid epidemic. The authors find that opioid overdose deaths are associated with decreasing shares of children living with two married parents and increases in shares of children living with unmarried but cohabiting parents, single fathers, and adults other than their parents. These changes have been most pronounced among White children.
U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler
U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler
Population Health Research Brief Series
The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.
Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores
Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores
Population Health Research Brief Series
The adverse impacts of the U.S. opioid crisis have been documented in many domains, but surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding how the opioid crisis has affected children’s educational outcomes. This brief shows that students in counties with high levels of opioid prescribing are learning more slowly over time than their peers in counties with low levels of opioid prescribing. In addition to directing more support to schools, the authors advocate for policies that address the underlying social conditions that lead to prescription opioid misuse.