Affiliation:
1. Department of Sociology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
This study identifies sociodemographic predictors of prescription opioid use among older adults (age 65+) during the peak decade of U.S. opioid prescription, and tests whether pain level and Medicaid coverage mediate the association between low wealth and opioid use. Predictors of prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and of opinions of both drug classes, are also examined.
Method
Regressions of opioid and NSAID use on sociodemographic characteristics, pain level, and insurance type were conducted using Health and Retirement Study 2004 core and 2005 Prescription Drug Study data (n = 3,721). Mediation analyses were conducted, and user opinions of drug importance, quality, and side effects were assessed.
Results
Low wealth was a strong, consistent predictor of opioid use. Both pain level and Medicaid coverage significantly, but only partially, mediated this association. Net of wealth, there were no significant associations between education and use of, or opinions of, either class of drugs.
Discussion
Among older American adults, the poorest are disproportionately likely to have been exposed to prescription opioid analgesics. Wealth, rather than education, drove social class differences in mid-2000s opioid use. Opioid-related policies should take into account socioeconomic contributors to opioid use, and the needs and treatment histories of chronic pain patients.
Funder
Network on Life Course Health Dynamics and Disparities in 21st Century America
Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging
National Institutes of Health
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Geriatrics and Gerontology,Gerontology,Clinical Psychology,Social Psychology
Reference44 articles.
1. NPS versus CDC: Scylla, Charybdis and the “number needed to [under-] treat”;Carr;Pain Medicine,2016
2. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids among Medicaid enrollees—Washington, 2004–2007;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;MMWR,2009
3. Drug-poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics: United States, 1999–2011;Chen;NCHS Data Brief,2014
Cited by
27 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献