UC Study Identifies Hotspots for Increased Risk of Opioid Overdose

Setting out to identify characteristics that put individuals at an increased risk of opioid overdose, researchers from the University of Cincinnati have identified 25 hotspots for fatal overdoses across the U.S., as well as other contributing factors, based on CDC data.

Findings were published by the journal PLOS One.

Among the populations at an increased risk for fatal opioid overdose:

• White males between the ages of 25 and 29
• White males ages 30 to 34
• Black males ages 30 to 34

The study also identified mental and physical distress as factors that lead to an increased risk for opioid overdose, with mental distress in particular increasing the risk of a fatal overdose by as much as 39%.

Geographically, the researchers noted a migration of higher overdose rates starting in the Southwest and moving to the Northeast from 2005 to 2017. Populations in both regions reported higher levels of physical and mental stress.

VIEW: Map shows 25 hotspot regions identified by UC researchers (Source: UC.edu)

Study co-author Diego Cuadros, a UC assistant professor and director of the university’s Health Geography and Disease Modeling Laboratory, said the findings could help reshape public health intervention efforts by identifying especially vulnerable populations.

Added co-author Neil MacKinnon, former dean of the UC Winkle College of Pharmacy: “We hope the risk factors we identified in this analysis will be used by agencies like RecoveryOhio to plan proactive strategies and allocate resources to address this epidemic.”