Abstract

Opioid-related deaths have increased rapidly over the last couple of decades due to the overprescribing of prescription opioids and the availability of illicit drugs from family members, friends, or street dealers. To address this crisis, this research will attempt to identify how health literacy levels affect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Hence, this study is informed by the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) Model. The KAB model is used to determine the influence of knowledge and attitudes on behaviors, which includes prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and fentanyl. This dissertation aims to explore the relationships between health literacy, knowledge, attitude, and behavior for opioids (prescription and illicit). This study will also explore how these relationships differ by socioeconomic status and demographics. This study used a survey methodology to engage college students from a southeastern university as the participants of this study. The findings of this study show there is an association between health literacy and the KAB model. Additionally, there is an association between the components of the model and gender, ethnicity, and lifetime behavior, which supports what is found in the literature. The results from this study will be useful for opioid researchers and public health organizations so opioid-related information is disseminated in a plain language format to the public. The dissemination of information is significant because it will guide the opioid knowledge of college students and can essentially influence their behavior.

Notes

If this is your thesis or dissertation, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu

Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Cortelyou-Ward, Kendall

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Public Administration

Degree Program

Public Affairs; Health Services Management and Research

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008669;DP0025400

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0025400

Language

English

Release Date

8-15-2022

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Location

UCF Downtown

Download

Share

COinS