@article{ref1,
title="Racial/ethnic differences in trends in heroin use and heroin-related risk behaviors among nonmedical prescription opioid users",
journal="Drug and alcohol dependence",
year="2015",
author="Martins, Silvia S. and Santaella-Tenorio, Julian and Marshall, Brandon D. L. and Maldonado, Adriana and Cerdá, Magdalena",
volume="151",
number="",
pages="278-283",
abstract="BACKGROUND: This study examines changing patterns of past-year heroin use and heroin-related risk behaviors among individuals with nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) by racial/ethnic groups in the United States. <br><br>METHODS: We used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2002 to 2005 and 2008 to 2011, resulting in a total sample of N=448,597. <br><br>RESULTS: Past-year heroin use increased among individuals with NMUPO and increases varied by frequency of past year NMUPO and race/ethnicity. Those with NMUPO in the 2008-2011 period had almost twice the odds of heroin use as those with NMUPO in the 2002-2005 period (OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.50, 2.39), with higher increases in non-Hispanic (NH) Whites and Hispanics. In 2008-2011, the risk of past year heroin use, ever injecting heroin, past-year heroin abuse or dependence, and the perception of availability of heroin increased as the frequency of NMUPO increased across respondents of all race/ethnicities. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Individuals with NMUPO, particularly non-Hispanic Whites, are at high risk of heroin use and heroin-related risk behaviors. These results suggest that frequent nonmedical users of prescription opioids, regardless of race/ethnicity, should be the focus of novel public health efforts to prevent and mitigate the harms of heroin use.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0376-8716",
doi="10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.03.020",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.03.020"
}