Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Clarence Schumaker

Abstract

The opioid epidemic remains one of the leading causes of unintended deaths in the United States and is still one of the focal points of the public health field. Previous research has increased awareness of the opioid crisis and has focused on sociodemographic factors that may cause or predict prescription opioid misuse. The purpose of this study was to investigate sociodemographic factors that may predict prescription opioid misuse while controlling for healthcare insurance. The theoretical foundation for this secondary data analysis project was the socioecological model using the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The population was 56,136 United States citizens who were noninstitutionalized and were age 12 years or older. The overall logistic regression models for the two research questions were significant. Ninth grade completers and individuals who completed 11th grade or 12th grade but did not receive a diploma were higher among the types of opioid misuse groups. With respect to income, individuals making less than $50,000 were about two times more likely to misuse prescription opioids, and Medicare beneficiaries were 1.9 times more likely to misuse prescription opioids compared to any other healthcare insurance company. The findings from this study may lead to positive social change through the development of state and federal equitable laws for healthcare insurance companies. Insurance companies and healthcare professionals may use findings from this study to better assist patients who misuse prescription opioids and to prevent new cases of opioid misuse in hopes of preventing further opioid overdoses and deaths.

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