title: The influence of living along the U.S.-Mexico border on unintentional drug overdose death, New Mexico (USA), 2005-2009.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to characterize unintentional drug overdose death patterns among Hispanic ethnicity/sex strata by residence in New Mexico counties that border Mexico and non-border counties.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed medical examiner data for all unintentional drug overdose death in New Mexico during 2005-2009. Logistic and Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship of unintentional drug overdose death with border residence and demographics. Risk of overdose death was examined by the interactions of ethnicity, sex and border residence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 2005-2009, the statewide drug overdose death rate was 17.6 per 100,000 (n=1812). Border decedents were more likely to have died from overdose of prescription opioids other than methadone (Schedule II, Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR)=1.98; Schedule III/IV, aOR=1.56) but less likely to have died from heroin overdose (aOR=0.35), compared to non-border decedents. In population-based analyses, people living in border counties had lowest rates of overall overdose death and from illicit drugs, particularly heroin and cocaine. Hispanic males (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aRR]=2.41), Hispanic females (aRR=1.77) and non-Hispanic males (aRR=1.37) from non-border counties had higher risk of drug overdose death than their counterparts from border counties. Border residence had no effect on risk of drug overdose death among non-Hispanic females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residents in border counties incurred a protective effect for drug overdose death, most pronounced among Hispanics. There is a component of overdose death risk for which border residence is a proxy, likely an array of cultural and healthcare-related factors.
authors.affiliation: New Mexico Department of Health, 1190 St. Francis Dr., PO Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502-6110, USA. nshah45@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Nina G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lathrop
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Landen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000401:mortality*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000506:poisoning; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D009516:New Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000506:poisoning; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D055553:Prescription Drugs