# Social and behavioral determinants of MOUD utilization and opioid overdose

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL · 2024 · $705,411

## Abstract

Social and behavioral determinants of MOUD utilization and opioid overdose
In the US, over 192 people die each day due to opioid overdose (OOD), the leading cause of accidental death
among adults. Veterans are especially vulnerable to OOD, experiencing rates double those of non-Veterans,
due to their higher prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD). Medication treatment for OUD (MOUD) is the gold
standard treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). However, in the Veterans Health Administration of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA hospitals, access to MOUD care is lacking. Compounding
poor access, many patients who receive buprenorphine discontinue within 1 year, an indicator of suboptimal
treatment retention.
Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, live, work, and age. Adverse social
determinants of health include job insecurity, housing insecurity, financial insecurity, food insecurity, as well as
legal, social/familial, transportation, and violence problems. Together with adverse behavioral health factors
such as substance use and mental health disorders (e.g., major depression), adverse social and behavioral
determinants of health (SBDH) are associated with poorer health, and concurrent adverse SBDH can have
compounding negative health consequences. The overarching goal of this proposal is to understand SBDH,
biological variables, clinical settings and clinical factors that impact MOUD access and outcomes and to
develop predictive models for MOUD outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10892805
- **Project number:** 5R01DA056470-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
- **Principal Investigator:** Wenjun Li
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $705,411
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10892805

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10892805, Social and behavioral determinants of MOUD utilization and opioid overdose (5R01DA056470-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10892805. Licensed CC0.

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