Disparities in Opioid Agonist Treatment Accessibility for Priority Populations in New South Wales, Australia.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is effective for managing opioid dependence; however, it can be hard to access in some regions. We investigated OAT access for priority populations living in New South Wales, Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) peoples, and youth (18-24 years).

Method

Using a linked database, we analysed distances between residential postcodes and OAT dosing points for 29,935 individuals from July 2015 to June 2020. We used multi-level models with random intercepts for clients to assess the relative distance lived from dosing points for members of each priority population.

Results

The median distance to dosing points was 9.80 km. Multi-level regression predicting log-transfor

SUBMITTER: Conigrave JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12117287 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature