We are conducting the Oregon Youth and Young Adult Fentanyl Study to learn more about what youth and young adults in Oregon know about fentanyl and pills. As drug overdoses involving fentanyl are rising in Oregon, we hope to better understand youth and young adults’ experiences and ideas to help create educational programs about fentanyl.
For this study, we are interested in hearing from people who are:
- Between the ages of 15 and 25 years old
- Have access to a phone or the internet
- Primarily live in Oregon
The Oregon Youth and Young Adult Fentanyl Study looks to answer:
- What do youth and young adults in Oregon know about fentanyl and pills?
- What experiences have youth and young adults had with fentanyl and overdose?
- What do youth and young adults know about finding help for drug use?
- What do youth and young adults recommend to prevent overdose?
Who is involved in this study?
Our research team includes physicians, public health workers and social scientists from three organizations:
- Oregon Health & Science University: A health and medical university based in Oregon that provides health services and conducts research across the state.
- Comagine Health: An Oregon-based research team that works on projects related to opioids, peer support, and drug policies and programs. Learn more about our work.
- Oregon Health Authority: An Oregon agency that works to improve the health of Oregonians.
This work is paid for by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What does this study look like for participants?
This study involves two main parts:
- Online Survey: Youth and young adults in Oregon will be recruited on social media to participate in a brief, online and anonymous survey. The survey will ask about fentanyl, pills, risk beliefs, overdose, help-seeking and recommendations. Participants will be entered to win a $50 gift card.
- Interviews: A follow-up phone interview will be conducted with some people who responded to the survey to tell us more about their thoughts and experiences with fentanyl and pills. Interview participants will receive a $30 gift card.
What about confidentiality?
We take confidentiality seriously! People who take the survey will be anonymous unless they enter an email address at the end to be entered into the raffle. The email addresses are separate from survey responses. Survey responses can never be connected to email addresses. All data will be stored securely, can only be seen by our team of trained research staff, and individual survey responses will NOT be shared. When we report study results, they will be rolled up across everyone who took part.
Interviews will be audio-recorded, and we’ll convert the audio from the interview into text. We’ll then delete the audio recordings, and all other data will be stored securely and accessed only by research staff. When we share quotes, we will NOT share names alongside quotes.
How will this information be shared?
We’ll share this information in three ways. We will:
- Report the results to the Oregon Health Authority. They’ll use the information to shape programming and interventions across the state of Oregon.
- Present the results at local community meetings. These meetings will be attended by local public health workers, healthcare providers, researchers, law enforcement, school administrators and staff, and others.
- Write a couple of academic articles. These articles will go into public health and medical journals and be read by other research teams and health care providers.
Who do I contact if I have any questions or concerns?
We’d love to hear from you! For more information about the study or how to take part, email Comagine Health’s Overdose Data To Action Team.