false
OasisLMS
zh-CN,en,fr,de,ja,es
Catalog
35th AM (2025) - Poster Session
Mapping the Divide Substance-Related Mortality Acr ...
Mapping the Divide Substance-Related Mortality Across Urban and Rural America
Back to course
Pdf Summary
This study examines substance-related mortality trends across urban and rural America from 1999 to 2020, highlighting significant geographic and substance-specific disparities. Using CDC WONDER data on deaths from alcohol and drug poisoning, age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were compared across six levels of urbanization and grouped into rural versus urban populations. Findings reveal that rural areas consistently experienced higher average mortality (AAMR 851.5 per 100,000) compared to urban areas (AAMR 758.4). While both rural and urban mortality rates declined slowly over the period—with rural areas showing a slower annual decline (-0.41% versus -0.96%)—rates sharply increased in 2020, particularly in rural regions, exceeding 950 per 100,000. Among urbanization levels, nonmetropolitan "NonCore" areas had the highest mortality, while large fringe metros had the lowest.<br /><br />Substance-specific analysis identified prescription and synthetic opioids as the leading causes of death in rural communities (average AAMR 3.3), whereas cocaine-related mortality was dominant in urban settings (average AAMR 3.4) and increased most rapidly over time (annual percent change of 20.89%). These findings underscore the different drug epidemics afflicting rural and urban areas.<br /><br />The marked rise in mortality between 2019 and 2020 is attributed to systemic vulnerabilities likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that substance-related mortality in the U.S. represents multiple overlapping crises shaped by geography and drug type. Effective public health interventions require moving beyond uniform approaches toward regionally tailored strategies that address the distinct risks and needs in rural versus urban communities. This nuanced understanding is critical for mitigating the growing disparities and improving outcomes in diverse American populations.
Keywords
substance-related mortality
urban vs rural
CDC WONDER data
age-adjusted mortality rates
opioid epidemic
cocaine mortality
geographic disparities
COVID-19 impact
public health interventions
drug poisoning trends
×