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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Prescription drug misuse

Somebody to Lean on: Understanding Self-Stigma and Willingness to Disclose in the Context of Addiction
Presents a study on self-stigma, or the unwillingness to disclose opioid use, and aims to identify factors that predict lower levels of self-stigma. Breaks down data by race, sex, age, and rural/urban location, among other measures. Discusses strategies for overcoming self-stigma.
Author(s): Qing Ma, Christopher R. Whipple, Övgü Kaynak, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(8), 1044
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Appalachian Diseases of Despair
Provides information on Appalachian mortality disparities due to overdose, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis among people ages 15-64. Utilizes data from the 2022 Multiple Cause of Death database broken down by Appalachian state, region, gender, and metropolitan or nonmetropolitan status.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Changes in Substance Use Diagnoses in the Great Plains during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzed 109,671 patient visits for alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, or stimulant use disorder in 7 Great Plains states between March 2019 and March 2021 to report on demographic and geographic pattern disruptions in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes discussion of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residency on data and policy implications regarding access to care.
Author(s): Ahmed Nahian, Lisa M. McFadden
Citation: Healthcare, 12(16)
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Hawai'i Strategic Framework Partnerships for Success: Community Health Assessment
Examines substance use in Hawai'i, including discussion of trends, risks, and protective factors. Utilizes 2021 Hawai'i State Epidemiologic Report and County Profiles data. Identifies use and treatment disparities experienced by Native Hawaiians, rural populations, and other underserved groups.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD)
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Strategies Used to Reduce Harms Associated with Fentanyl Exposure among Rural People Who Use Drugs: Multi-Site Qualitative Findings from the Rural Opioid Initiative
Explores strategies utilized by rural people who use drugs to reduce fentanyl-related harm. Analyzes interviews with 349 people who recently used opioids or injection drugs in 10 states. Discusses awareness of fentanyl contamination, highlights perspectives on common harm reduction strategies, and describes public health applications. Includes state-by-state comparisons of participant demographic data.
Author(s): Suzan M. Walters, Robin Baker, David Frank, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 154
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Pain in the Nation 2024: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
Report focuses on alcohol, drug, and mortality statistics and trends, with a special feature on polysubstance use and drug overdose issues. Includes data on substance use and mortality, with U.S. maps showing overdose and suicide rates, breakdowns according to race and metro versus nonmetro location, and state-by-state statistical trends. Provides policy recommendations to address substance use and offers examples from rural areas.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Brandon Reavis
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Community-Level Factors and their Associations with Changing Opioid Overdose Fatality Rates in Kentucky, 2019–2021
Identifies associations between community-level factors and opioid overdose fatality rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky counties, and examines how these associations have changed from 2019 to 2021. Discusses societal changes that occurred due to COVID-19, including social isolation, and which may be linked to an increase in overdose deaths. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, adjacent-to-metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Shawn R. Nigam, Philip M. Westgate, Svetla Slavova, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L. Thompson
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(1), 90-115
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Addressing Opioid Misuse through Community-Engaged Strategy Development: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Describes the design of a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of the SEED Method and a modified Delphi method for the recruitment of participants to a community-based participatory research project. Study participants will develop strategies to respond to the opioid epidemic in three rural Virginia communities.
Author(s): Emily B. Zimmerman, Carlin Rafie, Sophie G. Wenzel, et al.
Citation: Research Involvement and Engagement, 10, 74
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Risk Factors for Persistent Fatal Opioid-Involved Overdose Clusters in Massachusetts 2011–2021: A Spatial Statistical Analysis with Socio-Economic, Accessibility, and Prescription Factors
Examines locations with high opioid-involved overdose deaths in Massachusetts as well as factors contributing to mortality, such as social infrastructure and opioid prescribing practices. Provides state maps showing opioid overdose rates according to ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA). Includes data on social infrastructure access, opioid prescriptions, and ZCTA clusters, with breakdowns by poverty and race.
Author(s): Sumeeta Srinivasan, Jennifer Pustz, Elizabeth Marsh, Leonard D. Young, Thomas J. Stopka
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 1893
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Prescription Opioid Tapering Practices and Outcomes at a Rural VA Health Care System
Presents a study on the clinical characteristics of rural veterans using opioids for chronic pain and undergoing opioid tapering. Breaks down data on outcomes from tapering for rural veterans who were taking 90 Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (MEDD) or more. Highlights common tapering outcomes, such as increased pain, suicidal ideation, and other withdrawal symptoms.
Author(s): Rena Elizabeth Courtney, Emily Halsey, Tanvi Patil, et al.
Citation: Pain Medicine, 25(7), 480-482
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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