Prescription Opioid Use Among a Community Sample of Older and Younger Women

Background: Women bear a heavier burden of the consequences related to prescription opioid use compared to their male counterparts; however, there has been little attention in the literature regarding prescription opioid use among women. We aimed to examine risk factors for prescription opioid use among women. Methods: Demographics, health status, and substance use data, including prescription opioid use, were collected through a community engagement program, HealthStreet, during a health needs assessment. Women older than 18 years were classified by opioid use: past 30-day, lifetime, but not past 30-day, or no lifetime prescription opioid use. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were calculated, and multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs; confidence interval [CI]). Results: Among 5,549 women assessed, 15% reported past 30-day use and 41% reported lifetime use of prescription opioids. While prescription sedative use was the strongest risk factor for past 30-day use among younger women (aOR = 4.84; 95% CI, 3.59-6.51), past 6-month doctor visits was the strongest risk factor for past 30-day use among older women (aOR = 4.15; 95% CI, 2.62-6.60). Conclusions: We found higher rates of prescription opioid use in this community sample of women compared to national rates. Risk factors for recent prescription opioid use (past 30-day use) differed among older and younger women. Clinicians should be more vigilant about prescribing opioids as the medical profile for women may change through age, especially the co-prescribing of opioids and sedatives.