National increase in the community supply of take‐home naloxone associated with a mass media campaign in Scotland: a segmented time series analysis

Background

Take-home naloxone (THN) programmes have been associated with reductions in opioid-related mortality. In response to high rates of drug-related deaths in Scotland, the Scottish Government commissioned the ‘How to save a life’ (HTSAL) mass media campaign to: (1) increase awareness of drug-related deaths and how to respond to an overdose, and (2) increase the supply of THN. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the campaign on the supply of THN.

Methods

We used an interrupted time series design to assess the effect of the HTSAL mass media campaign on the national community supply of THN. The study time period was August 2020–December 2021. We modelled two key dates: the start of the campaign (week beginning (w/b) 30th of August 2021) and after the end of the main campaign (w/b 25th of October 2021).

Results

The total number of THN kits distributed in the community in Scotland during the study period was 27,064. The mean number of THN kits distributed per week (relative to the pre-campaign period), increased by 126% during the campaign and 57% post-campaign. In segmented regression analyses, the pre-campaign trend in the number of THN kits supplied was increasing by an average of 1% each week (RR=1.01, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.01, p<0.001). Once the campaign started, a significant change in level was observed, and the number of kits increased by 75% (RR=1.75, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.40, p<0.001). The trend during the campaign was stable (i.e. not increasing or decreasing) but a significant change in level was observed when the campaign ended, and the number of THN kits supplied decreased by 32% (RR=0.68, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.98, p = 0.042). The trend during the post-campaign period was stable.

Conclusions

The HTSAL campaign had a short term, but large and significant impact, on the community supply of THN in Scotland. Mass media campaigns could be combined with other interventions and strategies to maintain the increased uptake of THN outside of campaign periods.