Table 1:
Characteristics of middle-aged and older adults self-reporting past-year prescription opioid misuse by demographics, substance use, and health status, NSDUH 2015–2016a
| Characteristic | Full Sample for all adults age ≳50 years (n=17,517), Weighted % (95% CI)b | Age ≳50 years without past-year opioid use (n=10,791), Weighed % (95% CI)b | Age ≳50 years with past-year prescription opioid use as prescribed (n=6,288), Weighted % (95% CI)b | Age ≳50 years with past-year prescription opioid misuse (n=438), Weighted % (95% CI)b | p-value (opioid use as-prescribed vs opioid misuse) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||||
| 50–64 | 56.9 (55.9, 58.0) | 55.9 (54.5, 57.3) | 57.1 (55.5, 58.7) | 79.7 (76.1, 82.8) | <0.001 |
| 65 and older | 43.1 (42.0, 44.1) | 44.1 (42.7, 45.5) | 42.9 (41.3, 44.5) | 20.3 (17.2, 23.9) | |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 46.9 (45.8, 48.0) | 47.9 (46.5, 49.3) | 44.7 (43.0, 46.4) | 54.4 (49.4, 59.4) | 0.001 |
| Female | 53.1 (52.0, 54.2) | 52.1 (50.7, 53.5) | 55.3 (53.6, 57.0) | 45.6 (40.6, 50.6) | |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 73.2 (72.1, 74.4) | 71.8 (70.6, 73.0) | 76.0 (74.2, 77.7) | 69.0 (63.6, 73.9) | 0.02 |
| Non-Hispanic African American | 10.3 (9.7, 11.0) | 10.1 (9.5, 10.8) | 10.4 (9.3, 11.6) | 13.0 (9.5, 17.6) | |
| Hispanic | 10.2 (9.6, 10.8) | 11.4 (10.6, 12.2) | 7.9 (7.0, 8.9) | 13.1 (9.5, 17.8) | |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 4.0 (3.5, 4.6) | 4.8 (4.0, 5.7) | 2.9 (2.3, 3.6) | 2.2 (0.9, 5.4) | |
| Other | 2.2 (2.1, 2.5) | 1.9 (1.6, 2.2) | 2.8 (2.4, 3.3) | 2.6 (1.5, 4.6) | |
| Total family income | |||||
| <$20,000 | 16.1 (15.3, 16.9) | 15.0 (14.1, 15.9) | 17.3 (16.2, 18.5) | 26.3 (21.5, 31.8) | 0.001 |
| $20–$49,999 | 30.2 (29.2, 31.2) | 29.5 (28.2, 30.8) | 31.6 (30.1, 33.2) | 28.8 (24.2, 33.8) | |
| $50,000–$74,999 | 17.1 (16.3, 17.9) | 17.4 (16.5, 18.4) | 16.5 (15.3, 17.8) | 16.1 (12.5, 20.5) | |
| ≥ $75,000 | 36.6 (35.6, 37.7) | 38.1 (36.9, 39.4) | 34.5 (33.0, 36.1) | 28.8 (23.9, 34.2) | |
| Marital status | |||||
| Married | 61.9 (61.0, 62.8) | 63.2 (62.0, 64.3) | 60.6 (59.1, 62.2) | 49.7 (44.2, 55.1) | <0.001 |
| Widowed | 12.3 (11.7, 12.9) | 12.3 (11.5, 13.2) | 12.3 (11.2, 13.4) | 10.4 (7.4, 14.4) | |
| Divorced or separated | 18.2 (17.4, 19.1) | 16.8 (15.8, 17.8) | 20.1 (18.7, 21.6) | 26.8 (22.1, 32.1) | |
| Never married | 7.6 (7.2, 8.0) | 7.7 (7.1, 8.4) | 6.9 (6.2, 7.8) | 13.2 (9.4, 18.2) | |
| Drug and other substance use - past year | |||||
| Tobacco use | 22.0 (21.2, 22.8) | 19.1 (18.1, 20.1) | 25.6 (24.3, 27.0) | 40.4 (34.4, 46.6) | <0.001 |
| Cocaine use | 0.7 (0.5, 0.8) | 0.4 (0.3, 0.5) | 0.8 (0.5, 1.0) | 7.0 (4.5, 10.7) | <0.001 |
| Marijuana use | 6.4 (5.8, 7.0) | 4.1 (3.7, 4.7) | 8.8 (7.8, 10.0) | 26.0 (21.0, 31.7) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol use disorderc | 3.4 (3.2, 3.7) | 2.8 (2.5, 3.2) | 3.8 (3.2, 4.4) | 14.2 (10.4, 18.9) | <0.001 |
| Prescription Sedative use - past year | |||||
| As prescribed sedative use | 9.0 (8.4, 9.7) | 4.7 (4.2, 5.2) | 15.5 (14.4, 16.7) | 21.5 (17.8, 25.7) | <0.001 |
| Prescription sedative misuse | 0.5 (0.4, 0.6) | 0.2 (0.2, 0.4) | 0.6 (0.4, 0.8) | 4.9 (3.6, 6.6) | |
| Prescription Tranquilizer use - past year | |||||
| As prescribed tranquilizer use | 16.5 (15.9, 17.1) | 9.4 (8.9, 10.0) | 27.8 (26.6, 29.1) | 27.8 (23.6, 32.4) | <0.001 |
| Prescription tranquilizer misuse | 1.1 (1.0, 1.4) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.7) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.5) | 15.9 (12.0, 20.7) | |
| Prescription Stimulant use - past year | |||||
| As prescribed stimulant use | 3.4 (3.0, 3.7) | 1.9 (1.6, 2.3) | 5.3 (4.6, 6.1) | 9.4 (6.6, 13.3) | <0.001 |
| Prescription stimulant misuse | 0.3 (0.2, 0.4) | 0.2 (0.1, 0.2) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.2) | 4.1 (2.2, 7.5) | |
| 2 or more chronic diseasesd | 26.0 (25.1, 26.9) | 21.3 (20.5, 22.2) | 33.8 (32.1, 35.6) | 28.4 (24.5, 32.5) | 0.01 |
| All-cause emergency department use past year | 25.9 (25.1, 26.7) | 18.6 (17.8, 19.5) | 37.5 (36.0, 39.0) | 36.9 (31.7, 42.3) | 0.82 |
| Major depressive episode – past yearc | 4.8 (4.4, 5.2) | 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) | 7.4 (6.7, 8.3) | 13.8 (10.0, 18.7) | <0.001 |
a
Data from the 2015 and 2016 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
b
All percentages are weighted and percentages have been rounded and may not sum to 100; CI=Confidence interval
c
Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition
d
Chronic conditions include: Asthma, Bronchitis/COPD, Cirrhosis, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hepatitis, Hypertension, HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Kidney disease.