PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

Stigma and efficacy beliefs regarding opioid use disorder treatment and naloxone in communities participating in the HEALing Communities Study intervention.

  • Nicky Lewis,
  • Barry Eggleston,
  • Redonna K Chandler,
  • Dawn Goddard-Eckrich,
  • Jamie E Luster,
  • Dacia D Beard,
  • Emma Rodgers,
  • Rouba Chahine,
  • Philip M Westgate,
  • Shoshana N Benjamin,
  • JaNae Holloway,
  • Thomas Clarke,
  • R Craig Lefebvre,
  • Michael D Stein,
  • Donald W Helme,
  • Jennifer Reynolds,
  • Sharon L Walsh,
  • Darcy Freedman,
  • Nabila El-Bassel,
  • Kara Stephens,
  • Anita Silwal,
  • Michelle Lofwall,
  • Janet E Childerhose,
  • Hilary L Surratt,
  • Brooke N Crockett,
  • Amy L Farmer,
  • James L David,
  • Laura Fanucchi,
  • Judy Harness,
  • Ben Wilburn,
  • Kelli Bursey,
  • Kristin Mattson,
  • Sarah Mann,
  • Rebecca D Jackson,
  • Aimee Shadwick,
  • Katherine Calver,
  • Deborah Chassler,
  • Jennifer Kimball,
  • Nancy Regan,
  • Jeffrey H Samet,
  • Rachel Sword-Cruz,
  • Michael D Slater

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308965
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 12
p. e0308965

Abstract

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BackgroundThe HEALing Communities Study (HCS) included health campaigns as part of a community-engaged intervention to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths in 67 highly impacted communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. Five campaigns were developed with community input to provide information on opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose prevention, reduce stigma, and build demand for evidence-based practices (EBPs). An evaluation examined the recognition of campaign messages about naloxone and whether stigma and efficacy beliefs regarding OUD treatment and naloxone changed in HCS intervention communities.MethodsData were collected through surveys offered on Facebook/Instagram to members of communities participating in the HCS intervention and wait-list control communities.ResultsParticipants in HCS intervention communities reported a reduction in stigma regarding OUD and increased efficacy beliefs regarding naloxone associated with recognition of campaign messages. However, this finding is cautiously interpreted as there was no clear evidence for recognition differences between the treatment/control conditions.ConclusionStudy findings indicate associations between campaign message recognition and positive outcomes. Results also highlight possible challenges concerning evaluations of social media campaigns using conventional evaluation techniques.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04111939.