School Environmental Factors and Prescription Opioid Misuse in the United States: Evidence from the 2019 National Survey

Abstract

Background: Given the current public health crisis caused by prescription opioid misuse amongadolescents across the United States, this study analyzed factors in the school environmentassociated with prescription opioid misuse in adolescents in the United States.Methods: Using a cross-sectional quantitative study design, multivariable analysis wasperformed on data from the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey(N=13,677).Results: The study results showed that the odds of current and lifetime opioid misuse inadolescents were 3 times higher for the students who carried weapons at least one day at school(Adjusted odds ratios, AOR, 3.03; CI, 2.13-4.33) compared to students who did not carryweapons. Other significant risk factors included physical fighting at school, safety concerns atschool, and perception of being threatened at school.Conclusion: The school can be a critically important stakeholder in the implementation ofpolicies and programs to tackle the current opioid epidemic in America.

Keywords

• adolescent
• opioid-related disorders
• school health
• environment