Spatial and temporal trends in the diagnosis of opioid-related problems in commercially-insured adolescents and young adults

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Austin C. Cohrs, Pennsylvania State University; Diah E. Husnul Khotimah, Pennsylvania State University; Andrew W. Dick, RAND Corporation; Bradley D. Stein, RAND Corporation; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, University of Southern California; Benjamin G Druss, Emory University; Kyungha Kim, Pennsylvania State University; Douglas L. Leslie, Pennsylvania State University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-08-12
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107194
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Preventive Medicine
• Volume: 163
• Start Page: 107194
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse [grant number R01DA047396].
• Keywords: Geographic variation; Adolescents; Opioid use; Young adults; Time trends
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Little is known about the extent to which the prevalence of opioid-related problems (ORPs) varies among U.S. adolescents and young adults across geographic regions and over time, information that can help to guide policies that aim to curb the opioid epidemic. A retrospective, cross-sectional design was used to analyze longitudinal claims data from privately insured individuals aged 12–64 years who had an outpatient or inpatient diagnosis of an ORP in the years 2005–2018. The prevalence of opioid-related problem diagnoses (per 10,000) varied considerably across census divisions, both over time and between age groups. Knowledge of the origin of and variation in diagnosed opioid-related problems in terms of age group and census division is important so that interventions and policies can be more targeted and effective.