The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s (IDHW) Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) partnered with Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) to conduct an evaluation of the fentanyl awareness campaign that took place from June 2022 to December 2022. The primary goals of the campaign were to increase awareness of risks associated with cross-contamination of drugs with fentanyl and increase use of overdose reversing medication. To evaluate the fentanyl awareness campaign’s reach and effectiveness, IPI conducted a statewide survey that is representative of Idaho’s population. The survey included questions about perceptions of the magnitude of illegal substance use in Idaho, general knowledge related to fentanyl use, familiarity with the fentanyl awareness campaign, and overall impressions of the campaign materials. Key takeaways from this technical report include:
- Idahoans are largely aware that fentanyl overdose is a critical problem and a majority have knowledge of the drug, but fewer know details about treatments such as naloxone.
- The fentanyl awareness campaign reached approximately 14.0% of Idahoans.
- Online and social media advertisements were the most common places respondents saw the fentanyl awareness campaign materials.
- When asked about the fentanyl awareness campaign’s effectiveness, 73.5% of Idahoans said the campaign was at least a little effective.
- Approximately 11.3% of Idahoans report using drugs not prescribed by a health care provider and 31.8% of Idahoans say they have friends or family that do so.
- Respondents who saw the fentanyl awareness campaign materials reported significantly higher rates of seeking information and treatment about substance use.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ellen-schafer/28/
This report was prepared by Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State University and commissioned by Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
This publication was made possible by 6NU17CE925017-03-02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health and Human Services. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, 2023.