Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice

Variations in the Treatment Gap by Key Patient Characteristics ..............................

The addiction treatment gap is substantial across
all demographic groups, with the greatest need
among adolescents, young adults and
Hispanics.^16

Gender. In 2010, twice as many males as
females were in need of addiction treatment
(12.2 percent vs. 6.2 percent).^17 That year:

 10.5 percent of males in need of treatment
received it, leaving a treatment gap of 13.5
million; and

 11.7 percent of females in need of treatment
received it, leaving a treatment gap of 7.2
million.^18

Although more males than females had
addiction involving nicotine in 2010 (9.9 percent
vs. 8.2 percent),^19 more female than male
smokers were interested in quitting (70.7 percent
vs. 67.3 percent) and treatment was more
prevalent among females than among males
(35.1 percent vs. 28.8 percent).^20

Age. In 2010, young people ages 18 to 25 were
the most likely of all age groups to need
addiction treatment:

 7.5 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 and 20.5
percent of young adults ages 18 to 25 were
in need of treatment (15.1 percent of all 12
to 25 year olds) but only 1.1 percent of all
12 to 25 year olds received it,* leaving a
treatment gap of 8.2 million; and

 7.4 percent of adults ages 26 and older were
in need of treatment but only 1.0 percent
received it, leaving a treatment gap of 12.5
million.^21

• The sample sizes for those who received needed

treatment is too small to report statistically reliable
data for 12- to 17-year olds and 18- to 25-year olds
separately.

Although more 18- to 25-year olds than adults

ages 26 and older had addiction involving

nicotine (10.4 percent vs. 9.7 percent) in 2010,^22

those ages 26 and older† were more likely to be

interested in quitting, and smoking cessation

treatment was higher among those ages 25 and

older (29.4 percent of 25- to 44-year olds; 42.3

percent of 45-to 64-year olds; and 35.9 percent

of those ages 65 and older) than among 18- to

24-year olds (15.8 percent).^23

Race/Ethnicity. Similar to racial/ethnic

disparities that have been found for other health

conditions,^24 Hispanics were slightly likelier

than white or black people to need addiction

treatment (10.1 percent vs. 9.3 percent and 8.8

percent, respectively) but less likely to receive it

in 2010:^25

 7.0 percent of Hispanics in need of treatment

received it, leaving a treatment gap of 3.5

million;

 11.7 percent of whites in need of treatment

received it, leaving a treatment gap of 13.9

million; and

 11.9 percent of blacks in need of treatment

received it, leaving a treatment gap of 2.4

million.‡ 26

Whites were likelier than blacks or Hispanics to

have addiction involving nicotine (10.9 percent

vs. 6.9 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively),^27

but adult black smokers were likelier than adult

white and Hispanic smokers to be interested in

quitting in 2010 (75.6 percent vs. 69.1 percent

and 61.0 percent, respectively). White smokers,

however, were likelier to use smoking cessation

treatments than black or Hispanic smokers (36.1

percent vs. 21.6 percent and 15.9 percent,

respectively).^28 Other research supports the

† Interest in quitting was higher among adults ages 25

to 44 (72.5 percent) and ages 45 to 64 (69.0 percent)

relative to those ages 18 to 24 (66.7 percent); older

adults ages 65 and older were the least interested in

quitting (53.8 percent).

‡ A recent study found that black and Hispanic

adolescents are significantly less likely to receive

addiction treatment relative to white adolescents.