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Category: Project

Description: This describes a study that involved age-period-cohort analyses to investigate whether cohort effects from exposure to the changing political context from the 1980s could explain the recent trends in drug-related deaths in Scotland. We present evidence consistent with this; evidence of an increased risk of drug-related deaths for the cohort born between 1960 and 1980, especially amongst males, and in those living in the most deprived areas. The cohort at highest risk occurred earlier in the most deprived areas. To our knowledge this is the first report showing such a cohort effect.