Recent studies show that half of people who initiate heroin use are women and the rate of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths among women has significantly increased in recent years. Women have unique risk characteristics including an accelerated trajectory to more severe opioid use disorder and a higher prevalence of co-occurring mental health disorders that make it more difficult to engage and retain them in research. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of identifying and recruiting women who use opioids using tailored recruitment strategies and to assess existing barriers to engagement and the acceptability of recruitment and retention strategies. The results of this project will optimize recruitment of women in addiction-related research and ensure they are adequately represented in research.
Women are increasingly impacted by the opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid overdose epidemic. This proposal aims to develop a tailored recruitment strategy to engage women in research about OUD and overdose to ensure that they are adequately represented in studies aimed at improving outcomes related to drug use.
