Trends in Drug Overdose Deaths in Alabama, 2010-2020

Background: Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Over the past two decades, drug overdose deaths have dramatically increased in the United States, and the rise in the number of drug overdose deaths is mostly due to opioids. This descriptive study aimed to examine trends in drug overdose deaths according to age, sex, and race/ethnicity from 2010 to 2020 in Alabama. Methods: We used data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate age-adjusted mortality rates for specific age groups, gender, and race/ethnicity. We used SAS Version 9.4 to compute and compare age-adjusted death rates between years, age group, gender, and race/ethnicity to obtain rate changes. Z-tests were used to determine statistical significance at p<0.05. Results: The overall age-adjusted death rate (AADR) of drug overdose deaths significantly increased from 2010 to 2020 (11.81 vs. 22.39 per 100,000 population). The greatest percentage increase in rates from 2010 to 2020 occurred for non-Hispanic Black (516.1%) individuals. Among individuals aged 15 to 69 years, adolescents aged 15-19 years were less likely to suffer drug overdose death in both 2010 and 2020 Conclusions: Our study shows an increasing trend in drug poisoning deaths in Alabama. The impact of deaths from overdose is deleterious and costly for Alabamians. Even though non-Hispanic White individuals are still more affected by the drug overdose epidemic, there has been a significant increase in drug poisoning deaths among non-Hispanic Black individuals. The significant increase in drug overdose deaths among non-Hispanic Blacks is of great concern and should be addressed by public health experts.