Association of physical activity, school safety and opioid use in adolescents: A structural equation analysis 

Abstract

Background The opioid epidemic has created an opportunity for researchers to examine the personal and environmental relationships around opioid use. This study examined the association of physical activity, school safety, and opioid use among a sample of US high school students. Methods The sample of participants for this study were from the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (2019 dataset). The main dependent variable for this study was opioid use in male and female adolescents in the 9th-12th grades in the United States. The independent variables assessed were unsafe schools and physical activity. All statistical analysis was done using STAT software version 17. Results 15.4% of the high school students reported misusing opioids and being a very physically active group (µ = 4.69days per week). The overall goodness of fit for the model was good 2 (df = 8) = 62.96 (p < .001), RMSEA = 0.029 [90% CI (0.02, 0.04)], CFI = 0.993, SRMR = 0.02. While latent physical activity was not statistically significantly related to opioid misuse (β = -0.02, p = .08), unsafe schools increased opioid misuse (β = 0.33, p < .001). This study showed the direct path between opioid use and unsafe school environments and behaviors. Conclusion School administrators and school health educators can consider the relationships discussed in this study and create programs to address the prominent behavior and risk factors to prevent adult dependence on opioids and school-related incidences escalated by comorbid drug use.