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Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department or Program Affiliation

Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Monson, Tesla A.

Second Advisor

Brasil, Marianna

Third Advisor

Weitz, Andrew P.

Fourth Advisor

Rollins, Alyson

Abstract

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a critical indicator of bone health used widely in forensic anthropology and clinical medicine for age estimation and disease diagnosis. This has prompted the investigation of BMD's relationship with illicit polysubstance use, as it has not been thoroughly explored. This study investigated the impact of prolonged illicit polysubstance use on BMD across three age groups ranging from 20 – 70 years old for males and females. My total sample size was N=196 people, with n=68 individuals included in each age cohort. These age cohorts consisted of n=17 male and n=17 female illicit polysubstance users, along with n=17 male and n=17 female non-substance users. Only nine participants were available for the older substance-using female cohort.

I used the New Mexico Decedent Image Database (NMDID) and a simple picture archiving communication system (PACS) for the BMD analysis of the first and second lumbar vertebrae (L1 and L2) from computed tomography (CT) scans. This study integrated theoretical frameworks from forensic anthropology, medical anthropology, and clinical medicine, with aims to understand the consequences of extended illicit polysubstance exposure on bone health, discern potential disparities in the effects of illicit polysubstance use on BMD between males and females, and analyze whether female substance users are disproportionality affected in older age cohorts. My findings support that illicit polysubstance users experience an overall trend of BMD decline, but females were impacted more severely compared to males. To interpret this phenomenon, I discuss the biological processes that occur within the female sex that compound with prolonged polysubstance use.

Type

Text

Keywords

Bone mineral density, forensic anthropology, Substance use, Menopause, Computer topography, Lumbar vertebra, Osteoporosis, Bone health

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1523220689

Subject – LCSH

Bones--Density--Sex differences; Lumbar vertebrae--Effect of drugs on; Women--Substance use; Osteoporosis in women; Osteoporosis--Age factors; Osteopenia--Age factors

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

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