Name of the project
- Evaluation of Overdose Prevention Programs for Injection Drug Users
Project abstract/brief description
- Drug overdose is the single greatest cause of mortality among injection drug users (IDUs) in the U.S. Fatal heroin overdoses cause more than half of all deaths among IDUs, which far exceeds the proportion of deaths due to AIDS or other causes. Administration of heroin or other opiates via intravenous route not only increases the risk for HIV and other blood-borne pathogens, but also significantly increases the risk a of potentially fatal overdose. Therefore, IDUs are a population at elevated risk for both HIV infection and fatal drug overdose. A heroin overdose can be safely reversed with the administration of naloxone (brand name Narcan) – a legal, nonscheduled opioid antagonist. Naloxone is currently prescribed and distributed by overdose prevention programs (OPP) in 15 states. Despite the common-sense notion that these programs “work,” scientifically designed evaluations of OPPs are almost non-existent, and outcomes are still poorly defined. The proposed study is designed to investigate changes in overdose response and other drug-related health behaviors among IDUs participating in two OPPs in Los Angeles. The study will address the following three specific aims: observe changes in overdose response behavior among IDUs; examine whether participating in overdose prevention training or overdose response (i.e. performing a “rescue”) affects other drug-related health behaviors; and investigate structural, social, and psychological barriers towards enrolling IDUs into OPPs. The proposed study will use qualitative and quantitative methods to study samples of IDUs recruited from two community-based programs in Los Angeles that conduct overdose prevention training – Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA) and Common Ground (CG). The proposed study will analyze quantitative baseline and “incident report” data collected as part of an existing protocol that started November 2008. The study will contextualize these quantitative data with in-depth qualitative interviews with 150 IDUs (100 trained, 50 untrained) that explore the rationale for and barriers towards enrolling in overdose prevention training, the effects of participating in a training, and the effects of participating in an overdose response.
Name of Principal Investigator
- Stephen E. Lankenau, Ph.D.
Department/division/center/school in which the project is based
- CHOIR/Division of Research on Children, Youth and Families
Primary institution in which this project is based
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
Name and email address for the Project Director / Manager, or person responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of this project
If we were to request additional information about this project, please provide the name of the person to contact and his/her email address
- Project Director / Manager listed above
Are there any Co-Investigators on this project?
Please name all Co-Investigators and their institutional affiliation
- Co-Investigator - Institutional affiliation
- Karla Wagner
Which, if any, of the following institutions are you partnering with for this project?
- University of Southern California - Keck School of Medicine (USC - HSC)
For each partner institution listed, please indicate the specific department / division / institute / center with which you are partnering
- Keck School of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, IPR
Are you collaborating with any other academic, clinical or community organizations on this project?
List any academic, clinical and / or community organizations with which you are collaborating. Please include each partner organization's location
- Organization and Location (city and state)
Which institutional IRBs have reviewed and approved this project?
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
Which of the following best characterizes the agency(ies) funding this project? (IF THIS IS A SUBCONTRACT, PLEASE IDENTIFY THE CORE FUNDING SOURCE, e.g., NIH, CDC, etc.)
- Federal - NIH (please specify BRANCH)
What year does / did funding begin?
What year does/did funding end?
Which of the following best describes the project's thematic focus?
- Substance abuse - treatment, co-morbidities and care, prevention and education, transition from pediatric to adult care
In what context do your project activities (e.g. data collection) take place?
- Social service agency/community-based organization
How would you classify this project?
Please indicate which of the following best characterizes the type of research you are conducting?
- Behavioral/social research
- Clinical/patient-oriented research
- Ethnographic research/medical anthropology
Which of the following best characterizes your study design?
What type of data collection methods are used?
- Surveys
- Individual open-ended (qualitative) interviews
- Observational data collection
Which services does your program provide?
How many participants will be/were recruited to participate in your research or service program over the funding/study period?
Which of the following best describe the population this project targets?
Which of the following best describes the age groups this project targets?
- Young adults (19-25 years)
- Adults (26-65 years)
Which of the following best describes the racial/ethnic characteristics of the project participants?
- White/Caucasian
- Black/African American
- Latino/Hispanic
- Asian (please specify)
Please provide any additional characteristics of your project participants that are specific to the goals of the project, e.g., low-income, un-insured, incarcerated, pregnant/parenting teens, populations with disabilities, specific conditions, etc.
Which of the following best describes the location(s) in which this project takes/took place?
In which LA County Service Planning Area (SPA) do/did your project activities take place?
- SPA 4 (Metro)
- SPA 5 (West)
- SPA 6 (South)
In which locations outside LA County do your project activities take place?
Does this project have an advisory board?
How often does your advisory board meet?
Please indicate which of the following best describes the membership of this project's advisory board?
Which of the following best describe the type of guidance your advisory group provides for your project?
In what ways, if any, has your project disseminated information about your project, including findings and lessons learned?
Which dissemination activities do you/did you find to be most effective?