Development of an Opioid Misuse Prevention Program for Young Adult Workers in the Construction Industry

Abstract Overmillion Americans agedor older reported opioid misuse inOverpeople died due to opioid related overdoses inupfromtoPreventing the onset of opioid misuse is critical for young adultswho representmillion past year opioid misusersOpioid misuse in this developmental period can negatively affect mentalphysicaland social well being and can lead to morbidity and mortality due to overdoseYoung adults entering the workforce are especially susceptible to substance useIn the workplaceannual overdose deaths from the non medical use of drugs or alcohol have risen byfromtoandof employers have reported negative consequences of opioid misuseDespite these rates of use and negative consequencesonlyof employers offer workplace prevention of these dangersConstruction trade workers have the highest proportional mortality ratio for premature death by opioid overdoseBroad normalization of paininjurymusculoskeletal disordersand psychological distress associated with chronic painsafety conditionsjob insecurityand unsatisfactory work arrangements may contribute to opioid misuse among this workforceAt the present timeprimary prevention efforts have not addressed the significant impact of opioid misuse on young adult construction trade workersThe objective of this study is to is to develop an optimizedhighly effective and efficient mobile friendly web based intervention that is immediately scalable and focused on preventing opioid misuse among young adult construction trade workersThis Phase I study will use the Preparation phase of the Multiphase Optimization StrategyMOSTapproach which includes the development of a comprehensiveevidence based framework that identifies causal pathways to intervene on which is essential to developing effective and sustainable behavioral interventionsThis formative work will guide the development and assessment of a behavioral intervention that is feasibleculturally competentand targets empirically established mediatorsThe specific aims of this study are toDevelop a storyboard for a behavioral intervention based on our theoryand expertinformed conceptual modelProduce a fully functional intervention component prototypeandPilot test the intervention component prototype to assess preliminary scientific and technical merit as well as the validity of the conceptual modelFulfillment of these aims will ultimately position the research team to propose a Phase II SBIR grant focused on an optimization trial si eidentification of the most effective intervention components to be included in the full interventionand rigorous evaluation of a feasibletechnically soundand commercially viable opioid misuse prevention program Project NarrativeThis project will significantly and positively contribute to a body of research aimed at preventing prescription opioid misuse among young adult construction trade workersA conceptual model describing mediating risk and protective factors and their influence on intentions and behaviors associated with prescription opioid misuse will be revisedtestedand applied as a guiding framework for developing a storyboard for an effectiveevidence based prevention programOne fully functional intervention component prototype will be built and tested with construction trade worker participants for technical and scientific merit