Sex-specific Trends in Methamphetamine Use in the United States, 2002-2022

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Methamphetamine use presents a significant public health challenge in the United States.
• Understanding long-term trends in substance use, particularly sex-specific patterns, is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze long-term sex-specific trends in past-year methamphetamine use from 2002 to 2022.
• To determine if prevalence trajectories differ between males and females.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002-2022).
• Calculation of survey-weighted annual prevalence estimates of past-year methamphetamine use by sex.
• Use of logistic regression with a sex-by-year interaction to assess differing temporal trends.

Main Results:

• Methamphetamine use was consistently more prevalent in males than females throughout the study period.
• Prevalence declined in the early 2000s and increased after the mid-2010s for both sexes, with greater increases observed in males.
• Male prevalence rose from 0.8% to 1.4%, while female prevalence increased from 0.6% to 0.7% between 2002 and 2022.

Conclusions:

• Significant and widening sex differences in methamphetamine use were observed from 2002 to 2022.
• Males exhibited higher prevalence and larger increases in use compared to females.
• Findings underscore the necessity of sex-informed approaches in addiction medicine for screening, prevention, and treatment.