Opioid-Related Public Health Communication Campaigns: An Environmental Scan
Jenna Frkovich, Haley Hedrick, Amarachi R. Anakaraonye, Alexandra Bornkessel, R. Craig Lefebvre
Abstract
The opioid overdose epidemic continues to devastate lives across the United States and has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we review 166 online-accessible opioid-related campaigns to understand the current state of the science and practice of campaigns to address the opioid crisis. The findings suggest that health promotion practitioners can have a greater impact on reducing overdose deaths if they move beyond awareness-raising messaging about opioid misuse and place a greater emphasis on driving demand for evidence-based treatments such as medications for opioid use disorder and on reducing stigma related to treatment and recovery.