@article{ref1,
title="Geospatial and temporal associations between increases in opioid deaths, socioeconomics, and rates of sexually transmitted infections in the northeast United States 2012-2017",
journal="International journal of environmental research and public health",
year="2021",
author="Drewes, Matthew R. and Jones, Jamison and Christiansen, Emily Nelson and Wilson, Jordan P. and Allen, Brian and Sloan, Chantel D.",
volume="18",
number="1",
pages="e62-e62",
abstract="With the introduction of fentanyl to illegal markets in 2013 and an overall rise in rates of synthetic opioid use, opioid-related deaths have increased significantly. A  similar trend has been observed for sexually transmitted infections, homicides, and  poor mental health outcomes. In this paper, we explore the spatiotemporal  relationship between opioid death rates and sexually transmitted infection (STI)  rates in counties from the Northeast region of the United States between the years  2012-2017. We hypothesized that rates for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and human  immunodeficiency virus (HIV) would all be positively associated with opioid death  rates and that there would be a similar association between the STI rates and later  time periods relative to earlier time periods. A negative binomial mixed-effects  regression model was employed to assess these associations. Contrary to the study  hypothesis, opioid death rates were not found to be significantly associated with  the STI rates after accounting for other demographic and socioeconomic variables,  with the exception of opioid deaths and gonorrhea in urban counties. Additionally,  the regression demonstrated a significant association between infection rate and  time period beyond the included socioeconomic variables and opioid deaths. Overall,  this study indicates that declining sexual health outcomes may parallel rising  opioid death, though both trends may be explained by similar underlying factors  related to time period.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1661-7827",
doi="10.3390/ijerph18010062",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010062"
}