Understanding the Geography of Overdose: A Mixed Methods Study

Project Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Project Period: 2023-2027

Between January 2016 and June 2022, 32,632 people died from an overdose in Canada. British Columbia (BC) is one of the most affected provinces with a record number of overdose deaths in 2022, exceeding 2,272 persons. Geography (where we live) and the built environment (the physical environment of communities) are important determinants of health that have been shown to have lifelong effects on mental health, substance use, and other outcomes. Despite the ongoing overdose crisis in Canada, very little is known about how where we live (geography) and the physical structure of communities (the built environment) affect the likelihood of surviving an overdose event and this has impeded overdose response efforts in communities outside major cities.

The purpose of this project is to identify geographic and built environment factors that influence the risk of fatal overdose to inform the development of place-based interventions. There are three aims that will be achieved by this project

1. Identify built environment factors that contribute to increased fatal overdose risk in urban, rural, and remote communities.
2. Measure geographic variations in the risk of fatal overdose and describe the built environment of neighborhoods or communities where risk of fatal overdose is highest.
3. Identify built environment factors that increase the risk of fatal overdose and describe modifications that could be made to reduce the risk of overdose death.