The study looked at how social media, specifically Twitter, can help in detecting and responding to substance use disorder (SUD)-related issues, such as overdoses, within American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
Researchers analyzed over 146,000 tweets that mentioned ‘overdose,’ focusing on those geolocated from US Tribal lands. They found that 9.4% of these tweets met the study criteria, with most coming from Oklahoma and North Carolina. The majority of the tweets described firsthand accounts of overdose, and some mentioned specific substances like alcohol, marijuana, and heroin. While these findings are preliminary, they could help in identifying trends and warning signs related to the opioid epidemic among AI/AN populations. It is crucial to protect the privacy of individuals and communities when using such data for public health purposes.