Baseline Opioid Survey: Access, Consumption, Consequences, and Perceptions among Young Adults in Alaska

Abstract

In September of 2015, SAMHSA awarded the Partnerships for Success (PFS) grant to the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health (DBH). The PFS grant program is a five‐year effort that focuses on preventing and reducing substance use and building prevention capacity at both the state and community levels. DBH provides leadership for the project and facilitates the conduct of project activities by community‐level coalitions. Additionally, DBH contracted with the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the PFS project. Using a data‐informed prioritization process to narrow the substance abuse focus of the grant, the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup chose two PFS priority areas: 1) non‐medical use of prescription opioids among 12‐25 year olds; and 2) heroin use among 18‐25 year olds. Data on the use of and consequences related to prescription opioids and heroin in Alaska are described below. Partnerships for Success (PFS) Priority Area: Non‐Medical Use of Prescription Opioids Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate that young adults aged 18‐25 consistently have the highest percentage of non‐medical use of prescription pain relievers in Alaska compared to youth aged 12‐17 and adults aged 26 and older (see Figure 1).1,2,3 While small decreases in use were observed among all age groups from 2009 to 2014, the age‐specific pattern remained consistent. Figure 1. Past year non‐medical use of prescription pain relievers in Alaska from 2009 to 2014 by age Additional data requested from NSDUH (see Table 1) indicated no significant change in non‐medical use of prescription pain reliever estimates among 12‐25 year olds in Alaska between years 2007‐2010 and 2011‐2014 but a decreasing trend was observed for past year use and past year prescription pain reliever dependence or abuse.4 0 5 10 15 2009-2010 2011-2012 2013-2014 Percentage 12-17 years 18-25 years 26+ years 4 Table 1. Past year non‐medical use of prescription pain reliever estimates among individuals aged 12 to 25 in Alaska from 2007 to 2014 1 Dependence/abuse is based on definitions found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM‐IV) Estimates of past year non‐medical use of prescription pain relievers among individuals aged 12 and older in Alaska are slightly higher than national estimates but both follow a small decreasing trend in use from 2009 to 2014 (see Figure 2).1,2,3 Figure 2. Past year non‐medical use of prescription pain relievers among individuals aged 12 and older in the U.S. and Alaska from 2009 to 2014 Other indicators related to non‐medical use of prescription opioids in Alaska have also decreased slightly or stabilized in recent years. Treatment admissions for synthetic opiates (opiates or synthetics including Methadone, Oxycodone, or Oxycontin) as a primary, secondary, or tertiary substance of abuse have stayed relatively stable from 2013 to 2015 (1,052 to 1,011 treatment admissions), according to the Alaska Automated Information Management System (AKAIMS).5 Age‐adjusted overdose death rates in Alaska have decreased from 11.2 per 100,000 in 2009 to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2015. Although overdose deaths from prescription opioids are decreasing, Alaska still has higher rates of overdose deaths from prescription opioids than the nation overall (7.3 vs. 5.1 per 100,000 in 2012).6