Opioid Use Among Elderly & Non-Elderly Adults by Socioeconomic Characteristics

This data visualization, based on four statistical briefs from AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, provides estimates on “frequent use” and “any use” of opioids among elderly and non-elderly adults during 2015-16 and 2018-19. The visualization allows users to explore the data by age cohort and by seven demographic categories: sex, race/ethnicity, poverty, insurance coverage, health status, region and metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

Highlights for the elderly adults (age 65 years or older)

• In 2018–2019, 15.8 percent of elderly adults, on average, filled at least one outpatient opioid prescription, and 4.9 percent obtained five or more prescription fills during the year.
• During this period, elderly adults who were poor (7.2 percent), low income (6.8 percent), or middle income (5.1 percent) were more likely than high-income elderly adults (3.4 percent) to obtain five or more opioid prescription fills during the year.
• In 2015–2016, 19.3 percent of elderly adults, on average, filled at least 1 outpatient opioid prescription, and 7.1 percent obtained four or more prescription fills during the year.
• During the same period, elderly adults who were poor (9.5 percent) or low income (11.3 percent) were more likely than middle-income (6.8 percent) and high-income (4.5 percent) elderly adults to obtain four or more opioid prescription fills during the year.

Highlights for the non-elderly adults (ages 18-64)

• In 2018–2019, 8.7 percent of non-elderly adults, on average, filled at least one outpatient opioid prescription, and 2.3 percent had five or more prescription fills during the year.
• During this period, women were more likely than men to have any opioid use during the year (10.3 percent vs. 7.0 percent) and to have frequent opioid use (2.7 percent vs. 1.8 percent).
• In 2015–2016, 13.0 percent of non-elderly adults, on average, filled at least 1 outpatient opioid prescription, and 3.1 percent had four or more prescription fills during the year.
• During the same period, women were more likely than men to have any opioid use during the year (14.8 versus 11.1 percent) and to have frequent opioid use (3.6 versus 2.6 percent).