UH study will look at evacuee drug abuse

A new three-year study by UH researchers will focus on drug abuse patterns among Katrina evacuees and how the hurricane might have affected them — the first study of its kind, KUHF reports. The study of 300 evacuees will also look at how Houston's health care system has helped or hurt evacuees with drug problems, information researchers hope will lead to better treatment of drug abuse after disasters. "The whole purpose of this is to inform us about how to better respond to these kinds of problems in the future, and I think that's really the basis and the most important part of this whole study," principal investigator Avelardo Valdez said.

Not only will the study shed light on drug abuse patterns among disaster victims, but it could also help officials understand how drug use among the estimated 150,000 Katrina evacuees in Houston might affect the city in general. Specifically, researchers will look at evacuees' "risk networks" through which disease can be spread, co-investigator Alice Cepeda said.

The study is being funded through a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.