Background: Opioid overdoses and homelessness are intertwined critical public health issues. Experiencing homelessness is associated with higher risk of fatal and nonfatal overdose, and in Massachusetts, the drug overdose mortality rate among homeless people ages 25-44 was 16 to 24 times higher than that of the general population (Baggett et al., 2014). Furthermore, there are […]
Background: Opioid overdose deaths continue to rise in Boston, MA (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2021). Understanding reasons why people start and continue using opioids can help inform prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: We conducted a qualitative research study that included surveys and interviews with Boston residents who had survived an opioid overdose. Interviews happened […]
Policy and narratives are inextricably linked. One of the core elements of Empowerment Economics is narrative-changing, that programs “uplift the strengths, values, and capabilities of individuals, families, and communities.” In order to understand how narratives shape policy and in turn are shaped by policy, it is important to understand how they are connected and the tangible effects […]
Introduction Latin America has the second-highest adolescent birth rate (ABR) worldwide. Variation between urban and rural areas and evidence linking country development to ABR points towards upstream factors in the causal pathway. We investigated variation in ABR within and between cities, and whether different features of urban social environments are associated with ABR. Methods We included 363 […]