Health News
Almost one in three Kentuckians say they have a friend or relative that has had problems stemming from prescription drug abuse, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found.
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Health News
Nearly 1 in 3 Kentuckians say they know a friend or relative who has struggled with prescription-pill abuse, poll finds
Almost one in three Kentuckians say they have a friend or relative that has had problems stemming from prescription drug abuse, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found.In Eastern Kentucky, 43.2 percent of respondents said "yes" when asked if a family member or friend had had problems because they had abused pain pills. In the Lexington area, it was 39.4 percent. Western Kentucky had the lowest number at 19.7 percent. Statewide, it was 31.9 percent.
"Although other studies have shown that Kentucky has among the highest levels of prescription-drug abuse in the nation, the latest survey helps illustrate how pervasive the issue has become in the state," reports Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The survey, which polled 1,614 people, found that people ages 18 to 29 were more likely to have a friend or relative who had had a problem with pill abuse ? 43.8 percent compared to 29.7 percent of people ages 46 to 64.
"Other findings include that 54.5 percent of those polled in Kentucky said they'd been prescribed a pain reliever such as OxyContin, Vicodin or Percocet in the past five years," Estep reports. "The rate in Appalachia was the lowest in the state, at 46.4 percent. That might reflect that there are fewer medical providers in that part of the state, and that fewer people have insurance."
The survey also asked respondents if they had ever used a prescription drug that was not prescribed to them. In that case, just 5.5 percent said yes, but nearly twice as many 18-to-29-year-olds answered yes. "These findings underscore the impact misuse of prescription pain medications is having in Kentucky and the importance of work by prescribers and policymakers to assure that these drugs aren't used inappropriately," said Susan Zepeda, chief executive officer of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which helped fund the survey.
The poll was also funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. It was conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 27 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of adults across Kentucky were interviewed, including 1,313 landline interviews and 308 cell-phone interviews. For more from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, click here. (Read more)
- Poll Shows More Issues With Heroin, Fewer With Pain Pills
The latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll backs up law-enforcement opinion that Kentucky's metropolitan areas are experiencing increased problems with heroin use as misuse of prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and codeine...
- Most Kentucky Adults Don't Know That Drug Overdose Is The Leading Cause Of Death In The State, But Those In The East Do
Drug overdoses, driven largely by prescription drug abuse, overtook motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of unintentional deaths in Kentucky back in 2010 and remain the state's leading cause of death. From 2000 to 2010, the number of drug-overdose...
- Poll Shows Depth Of Prescription Drug Abuse In Kentucky
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News One-third of Kentucky adults have friends or relatives who have experienced problems from abusing prescription pain relievers, and 8 percent have used pain medicine when it wasn't prescribed or for...
- Nearly Half Of Kentuckians Keep Guns In Their Home, And 9 Percent Keep A Gun Loaded And Unlocked
Forty-five percent of Kentucky adults keep a gun or other firearm in their home, and one-fifth of those (9 percent of the population) keep them loaded but unlocked, the 2011 Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found. Children are present in almost...
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When asked what should be the state's priorities in the next year, more than nine in 10 Kentuckians responded that job creation should be at the top of the list. Heath concerns ranked slightly lower. The 2011 Kentucky Health Issues Poll, which released...