Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Spatial Risk Prediction Model For Drug Overdose, Parisa Bozorgi

Theses and Dissertations

Drug overdose is a leading cause of unintentional death in the United States and has contributed significantly to a decline in life expectancy from 2015 to 2018. Overdose deaths, especially from opioids, have also been recognized in recent years as a significant public health issue. To address this public health problem, this study sought to identify neighborhood-level (e.g., block group) factors associated with drug overdose and develop a spatial model using machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict the likelihood or risk of drug overdoses across South Carolina. This study included block group level socio-demographic factors and drug use variables which …