 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jenny Chong, PhD and Darlene Lopez, MS. College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Rural Health Office, 2501 E. Elm Street, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520 626 7946 x 225, jchong@u.arizona.edu
Specific data on counties along the Arizona-Mexico border collected by the state and other agencies can be used to indicate the level of substance abuse in that region. Over recent years, the Border Epidemiology Work Group (BEWG), jointly funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Prevention and Disease Control Ministry of Health of Mexico, has conducted surveillance on substance abuse on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. This presentation will describe substance abuse changes over the years as suggested by the indicator data across the four Arizona Border Counties using data reported to the BEWG. The public health impact of substance abuse is assessed using measures such as drug and alcohol-related arrests, hospital discharges, drug seizures, and mortality data. The data show differences in these indicators across the four Arizona counties, as well as differential changes in alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Substance abuse treatment admissions also show differences in the types of drugs that are problematic along the border. Issues related to changes in the prevalence of substance abuse along the U.S.-Mexico Border will be discussed, including the impact of substance abuse on the public health of the region.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alcohol Problems, Drug Abuse
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.