Gender differences in the prevalence of heroin and opioid analgesic misuse in the United States, 2015-2019.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey analysis
PubMed 34488078 · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108978
What was done
The authors analyzed annual data from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to evaluate gender differences in opioid misuse and use disorders in the United States. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic variables, were used to examine past-year opioid analgesic misuse initiation, past-year opioid analgesic misuse, heroin use, opioid analgesic use disorder, and heroin use disorder.
What was found
In adjusted analyses, women had higher odds of past-year opioid analgesic misuse initiation compared to men, including higher rates among adolescent girls. Conversely, men had higher odds of overall opioid analgesic misuse, heroin use, and opioid analgesic or heroin use disorders. The abstract reports that heroin use remains approximately twice as common in men as in women, but exact odds ratios, percentages, and confidence intervals are not provided.
Why it matters
These findings indicate a narrowing gender gap in opioid misuse driven by higher rates of initiation among women and adolescent girls, highlighting the need for gender-tailored prevention strategies.
Limits
The study relies on self-reported survey responses from NSDUH, which are susceptible to recall and social desirability biases. The abstract does not provide sample sizes, point estimates, or confidence intervals. NSDUH cross-sectional sampling also excludes certain high-risk populations, such as active-duty military and unhoused or incarcerated individuals.
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