Association Between County-Level Social Vulnerability and Deprivation with Opioid Dispensing Rates in the United States

Policymakers planning to implement evidence-based programs (e.g., harm reduction therapy) to address opioid-related overdoses and deaths may benefit from a better understanding of the community’s vulnerability and deprivation in the United States (US). A cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the association between quintiles of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and Social Deprivation Index (SDI) with the opioid dispensing rate (number per 100 persons) in 2020. Data sources on opioid dispensing rate and SVI were derived from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, and SDI was derived from the Robert Graham Center. A total of 3069 US counties were included for analysis. In our study, counties with higher quintiles (more vulnerability or deprivation) were significantly associated with a higher incidence of opioid dispensing rate. These findings may inform policymakers to adopt implementation strategies that are tailored to the community’s vulnerability and deprivation to maximize the effectiveness of evidence-based programs.