Deaths associated with opioids, race and ethnicity, and years of potential life lost in Washington State.

Introduction: This study examined disparities in years of potential life lost (YPLL) related to opioid use among racial and ethnic groups adjusting for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics.

Methods: The study obtained data on 5265 geocoded death records associated with opioid use from the Washington State Department of Health. Death certificates included information on race and ethnicity, sex, marital status, and educational attainment. We linked these records to neighborhood-level indicators of rurality, area deprivation, and access to opioid treatment programs. Generalized linear mixed models tested associations between racial and ethnic identity and YPLL controlling for other individual and neighborhood characteristics.

Results: Among all decedents from opioid-related causes, the study found that racial and ethnic minorities-including Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander-multiracial, or Hispanic adults died at younger ages than did White adults (33 to 44 vs 45). In the fully adjusted models, the estimated mean for YPLL was higher for Asian or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, multiracial, and Hispanic adults compared to White adults. Accounting for educational attainment and marital status substantially reduced YPLL differences between groups, by as much as 40% in some cases.

Conclusions: The study observed striking differences in YPLL related to opioid causes among racial and ethnic minorities. Accounting for social determinants of health greatly reduced YPLL across all groups but racial and ethnic disparities in YPLL remained significant. Understanding and alleviating additional causes of disparities in YPLL is warranted to abate the epidemic of opioid related deaths in the United States.