Date of Conferral

7-23-2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Claire Robb

Abstract

Since the late 1990s, the United States has been in the midst of an opioid epidemic that continues to present significant public health challenges. Opioid-related mortality, particularly involving fentanyl, has disproportionately affected vulnerable populations. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the associations between educational level, homelessness, and alcohol use with opioid-related overdose deaths involving fentanyl, while controlling for age, gender, and marital status, among Black and White populations in the U.S. state of Georgia. The theoretical framework was Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model, which recognizes that individual behavior is influenced by multiple levels of factors, including interpersonal, community, and societal determinants. As part of the cross-sectional study design, secondary data from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health, were collected. The sample included 1,872 cases of opioid-related overdose deaths involving fentanyl. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the associations between the independent variables (educational level, homelessness, and alcohol use) and the dependent variable (opioid-related overdose deaths involving fentanyl). The findings revealed that homelessness and alcohol use were significant predictors of fentanyl-involved overdose deaths among both Black and White populations. Educational level was not statistically significant. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing racial disparities in fentanyl-related deaths among Black and White populations.

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