Abstract
Problem Identification: Fentanyl-related deaths increased exponentially across the U.S., with many incidences associated with illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is highly addictive and lethal. There is a disparity in fentanyl overdose deaths among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) adolescents ages 15-24 at the national, state, and local levels. In San Bernardino County, Black and AI/AN people account for 9.4% and 2.2% of the population, respectively, and experience fentanyl-related mortality rates at 2.3 times the national and 1.5 times the state rate on average.
Analysis:
The main factors contributing to fentanyl-related overdose deaths among adolescents in the community include a lack of knowledge about fentanyl, low risk and susceptibility perception of an overdose, subjective norms that influence opioid use, lack of access to opioid reversal treatments and medications for opioid use disorder, and inequitable medical treatment towards communities of color.
Intervention Proposal:
The Say No to Fentanyl intervention will include a social media health education campaign, health education workshops, and an advocacy coalition. San Bernardino adolescents will lead this campaign by providing online opioid health education, hosting workshops to increase the community’s capacity to address the health issue, and forming an advocacy coalition among community stakeholders to advocate for opioid-related preventive and mitigative policies.
Implementation and Evaluation:
The Say No to Fentanyl leaders will implement the program and use analytical insights, constituent feedback, and expert review to evaluate the process. The intervention will use pretests and posttests for both the health education and advocacy strategies to evaluate the outcomes based on the program goals and objectives.