Greater Boston’s congressional districts have lowest among opioid prescribers

Friday, July 20, 2018 - 00:10 in Health & Medicine

Congressional districts with the highest opioid prescribing rates are predominantly concentrated in the Southeastern U.S., with other hotspots in Appalachia and the rural West, according to a new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study, the first to focus on opioid prescribing rates at the congressional district level, could help federal and state policymakers better target intervention and prevention strategies. The study found that Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District had 166 opioid prescriptions per 100 people, the highest rate of any district in the nation. The study was published online today in American Journal of Public Health. “It is important for public health research to focus on geographical units such as congressional districts, as it allows for elected representatives to be more informed about important issues such as the opioid epidemic. Because a congressional district has a named elected representative, unlike, say, a county, it brings a certain degree...

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