Abstract

Hospitalizations due to opioid poisonings are increasing. While considerable information is available on the demographic and geographic distribution of opioid-related events, national data on the social and economic circumstances of those experiencing these events are limited. This study uses data from the National Household Survey (2011) linked to the Discharge Abstract Database (2011 to 2016) to provide the first national-level estimates of the socio-economic characteristics of individuals experiencing opioid-related hospitalizations. Results reveal elevated hospitalization rates among people who have lower levels of income and education, are unemployed or out of the labour force, identify as Indigenous, live in lone-parent households, and spend more than 50% of their household income on housing. Understanding the circumstances of individuals who experienced adverse opioid events will help inform policies addressing potential determinants.

Keywords

opioid poisonings, hospitalization, linked health data

Findings

Canada is currently experiencing an opioid crisis. The number of opioid-related deaths continues to rise, reaching close to 4,000 in 2017. Problematic opioid use also affects hospital utilization. According to a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the rate of hospitalization due to opioid poisoning (HOP) rose by 56% between 2007/2008 and 2016/2017 to 15.6 per 100,000 population, with almost half the increase occurring in the last three years. While rates were highest among people aged 45 or older (about 20 per 100,000 population), the greatest increase was among 15- to 24-year-olds—from 6.5 to 13.3 per 100,000. During the last decade, rates were higher among females than males until 2016/2017, when the rate among males (15.8 per 100,000) surpassed that among females (15.5 per 100,000). Rates were higher in western provinces (Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) and the territories than in eastern provinces. [Full Text]

Authors

Gisèle Carrière (gisele.carriere@canada.ca) and Rochelle Garner are with the Health Analysis Division and Claudia Sanmartin is with the Analytical Studies Branch at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.