Substance use, dependence, and service utilization among the US uninsured nonelderly population.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:We examined the prevalence and correlates of substance use, dependence,
and service utilization among uninsured persons aged 12 to 64 years. METHODS:We drew
study data from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. RESULTS:An estimated
80% of uninsured nonelderly persons reported being uninsured for more than 6 months
in the prior year. Only 9% of these uninsured persons who were dependent on alcohol
or drugs had received any substance abuse service in the past year. Non-Hispanic Whites
were an estimated 3 times more likely than Blacks to receive substance abuse services.
CONCLUSIONS:Compared with the privately insured, uninsured persons had increased odds
of having alcohol/drug dependence and appeared to face substantial barriers to health
services for substance use problems.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansSubstance-Related Disorders
Health Care Surveys
Prevalence
Probability
Family Characteristics
Counseling
Adolescent
Adult
Middle Aged
Child
Medically Uninsured
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
Insurance Coverage
Health Services Accessibility
United States
Female
Male
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20030Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.2105/ajph.93.12.2079Publication Info
Wu, Li-Tzy; Kouzis, Anthony C; & Schlenger, William E (2003). Substance use, dependence, and service utilization among the US uninsured nonelderly
population. American journal of public health, 93(12). pp. 2079-2085. 10.2105/ajph.93.12.2079. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20030.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder

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