| abstract |
In this thesis, I study the opioid crisis in the United States between the years of 1999 and
2017 using an exploratory data analysis with an emphasis on data visualization. I use a
multi-level geographic approach, starting at the international level by comparing opioid
consumption in North America to other regions of the world using data from the United
Nations and its associated agencies. From there, I move onto consumption patterns at the
state level using data from the CDC, which includes disaggregations by sex. At the
county level, I focus on opioid use in the Appalachian Region (the area of the country
that was most impacted by the crisis) and the specific counties and subregions with the
highest overdose rates.
I breakdown the crisis into several potential driving factors using data from multiple
sources in order to understand the socioeconomic and geographic conditions of the
Appalachian Region that laid the foundation for the epidemic in the region. By exploring
the relationship between each variable and opioid use, I am able to contribute to the
explanation of why certain areas of the country were more vulnerable to opioid abuse
than others. Finally, I include a discussion of the steps that have been taken by the federal
government and its agencies to address the epidemic. I then make recommendations for
how to combat the opioid crisis based on my findings from this thesis.
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