Drug and alcohol dependence
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2020
A comparison of product dependence among cigarette only, ENDS only, and dual users: Findings from Wave 3 (2015-2016) of the PATH study.
Little is known about differences in tobacco product dependence among people who use two tobacco products versus one. Self-reported product dependence among individuals using cigarettes only, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) only, and both cigarettes and ENDS (dual users) was compared. ⋯ While there was no difference in CD between dual and cigarette only users, dual users' ED was lower than that for ENDS only users. ENDS appeared to produce less dependence than cigarettes among dual users. Given the high nicotine concentration ENDS products that entered the market after PATH Wave 3 data were collected, future research should examine ED among ENDS only and dual users.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2020
Community engagement to implement evidence-based practices in the HEALing communities study.
The implementation of evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths within communities remains suboptimal. Community engagement can improve the uptake and sustainability of evidence-based practices. The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths through the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention, a community-engaged, data-driven planning process that will be implemented in 67 communities across four states. ⋯ HCS will show how community engagement can support the implementation of evidence-based practices for addressing the opioid crisis in highly impacted communities. Findings from this study have the potential to provide communities across the country with an evidence-based approach to address their local opioid crisis; advance community engaged research; and contribute to the implementation, sustainability, and adoption of evidence-based practices.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2020
Multicenter StudyOpioid initiation and injection transition in rural northern New England: A mixed-methods approach.
In rural northern New England, located in the northeastern United States, the overdose epidemic has accelerated with the introduction of fentanyl. Opioid initiation and transition to opioid injection have been studied in urban settings. Little is known about opioid initiation and transition to injection drug use in rural northern New England. ⋯ Trauma, normalization of drug use, over-prescribing of opioids, and abrupt discontinuation challenge people who use drugs in rural northern New England communities. Inadequate opioid tapering may increase transition to non-prescribed drug use. The extent and severity of traumatic experiences described highlights the importance of enhancing trauma-informed care in rural areas.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2020
Health economic design for cost, cost-effectiveness and simulation analyses in the HEALing Communities Study.
The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) is designed to implement and evaluate the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention, a conceptually driven framework to assist communities in selecting and adopting evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths. The goal of the HCS is to produce generalizable information for policy makers and community stakeholders seeking to implement CTH or a similar community intervention. To support this objective, one aim of the HCS is a health economics study (HES), the results of which will inform decisions around fiscal feasibility and sustainability relevant to other community settings. ⋯ The HCS offers an unprecedented opportunity to conduct health economics research on solutions to the opioid crisis and to increase understanding of the impact and value of complex, community-level interventions.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Dec 2020
Community dashboards to support data-informed decision-making in the HEALing communities study.
With opioid misuse, opioid use disorder (OUD), and opioid overdose deaths persisting at epidemic levels in the U.S., the largest implementation study in addiction research-the HEALing Communities Study (HCS)-is evaluating the impact of the Communities That Heal (CTH) intervention on reducing opioid overdose deaths in 67 disproportionately affected communities from four states (i.e., "sites"). Community-tailored dashboards are central to the CTH intervention's mandate to implement a community-engaged and data-driven process. These dashboards support a participating community's decision-making for selection and monitoring of evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths. ⋯ The HCS presents an opportunity to advance how community-tailored dashboards can foster community-driven solutions to address the opioid epidemic. Lessons learned can be applied to inform interventions for public health concerns and issues that have disproportionate impact across communities and populations (e.g., racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities and other marginalized individuals).