Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

Illicit Drug and Opioid Use Disorders among Non-Metropolitan Residents
Provides estimates of metropolitan and non-metropolitan past year drug use disorder rates among people ages 18-64 and temporal changes in past year drug use disorder prevalence rates. Includes statistics with metropolitan and non-metropolitan breakdowns for any drug, opioid, heroin, and prescription pain reliever use disorder.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Impact of Presence of Children on Indoor Tobacco Restrictions in Households of Urban and Rural Adult Tobacco Users
Highlights a study on indoor tobacco use around children among rural and urban tobacco users in Ohio. Breaks down data by the tobacco users age, race, and gender, as well as number of children in the household, among other factors.
Author(s): Benjamin T. Kopp, Alice Hinton, Rong Lu, et al.
Citation: Academic Pediatrics, 18(8), 920-927
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What's Working in the United States
Guide for community leaders, public health, law enforcement, and others working to address the opioid crisis in their community. Identifies evidence-based practices that have been successfully implemented in the U.S. and are effective in reducing rates of opioid overdose. Includes strategies focused on naloxone distribution, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), addressing opioid use in criminal justice settings, syringe services, and more.
Author(s): Jennifer J. Carroll, Traci C. Green, Rita K. Noonan
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Developing Smokeless Tobacco Prevention Messaging for At-Risk Youth: Early Lessons from "The Real Cost" Smokeless Campaign
Presents the findings of two separate qualitative research studies – strategic concept testing and creative concept testing - conducted with youth at risk or who had experimented with smokeless tobacco (SLT), to support the development of health messaging to inform youth on the consequences of SLT use. Focus groups were conducted with 252 rural male youth ages 12-17 from states with high prevalence of SLT associated with the target audience.
Author(s): Matthew W. Walker, Sarah A. Evans, Cameron Wimpy, Amanda T. Berger, Alexandria A. Smith
Citation: Health Equity, 2(1), 167–173
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Rural and Urban Substance Use Differences: Effects of the Transition to College
Details a study on the differences in alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among college students from rural and urban areas. Looks at rates of usage for freshman, sophomores, and juniors enrolled in a large, public university in the Southeastern U.S. Breaks down data by age, gender, and race.
Author(s): Karen J. Derefinko, Zoran Bursac, Michael G. Mejia, Richard Milich, Donald R. Lynam
Citation: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(2), 224-234
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Child Welfare and Substance Use
Discusses a study on the relationship between substance use, specifically opioid misuse, and child welfare caseloads. Explores reports of child abuse and foster care entries along with drug mortality rates and retail opioid sales. Features rural information in the second and third reports.
Date: 2018
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The Opioid Crisis in Rural and Small Town America
Provides data on opioid mortality rates in 2016 and changes in opioid mortality from 1999 through 2016 for metropolitan and nonmetro counties. Also provides metro/nonmetro data on drug overdoses by type of opioid - heroin, prescription opioids, synthetic opioids, and unspecified opioids - from 1999 through 2016. Discusses challenges rural areas face in addressing the opioid crisis.
Author(s): Shannon M. Monnat, Khary K. Rigg
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Portraying a More Complete Picture of Illicit Drug Use Epidemiology and Policy for Rural America: A Competing Viewpoint to the CDC's MMWR Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States. Discusses a range of factors that may impact our understanding of nonmetropolitan drug use and identifies additional studies that have been undertaken related to nonmetro drug use. Also discusses potential differences in effective ways to address drug use in nonmetro compared to metro areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 3-5
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Crises and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy
Examines current trends, causes, costs, and potential solutions to the drug, alcohol, and suicide crises in the U.S. Includes rural data and discussion of rural-specific issues.
Author(s): Laura M. Segal, Anne De Biasi, Jennifer L. Mueller, Kendra May, Molly Warren
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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The Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis: Perspectives from States, Communities, and Providers
Video recording details the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on the opioid epidemic. Features testimony detailing efforts to combat opioid addiction from representatives of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry; the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program; and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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