NCJ Number
191737
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 2001 Pages: 665-694
Date Published
2001
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This article describes potential reasons for the differences in drug use prevalence rates among youth generated by three nationally representative surveys.
Abstract
The surveys are the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, and the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS). The MTF and YRBS are the most similar and are conducted among students using self-administered questionnaires. The NHSDA, conducted in the respondent’s household, also uses self-administered procedures for the drug questions. The overall conclusion is that the drug prevalence estimates and the trends generated by the three surveys are fairly similar for youth. The differences in the absolute survey estimates are probably the result of the cumulative effects of the small methodological differences among the surveys. The relative consistency in prevalence rates for alcohol, cigarettes, and cocaine across the three surveys is a form of external validity. The divergence in marijuana estimates in recent years may have more to do with the phenomenon of telescoping and the tendency of youth to remember illicit drug use events as occurring more recently than they did. When comparing various surveys, it’s important to consider their design features that could result in different results. Valid measures of drug use are needed in order to ensure that policies are well grounded and responsive to the overall drug situation in the country. These three surveys are excellent examples of well-designed and executed surveys. They contain a tremendous amount of information on drug use patterns. The major recommendation is for all three surveys to continue their current practices. Research could be conducted to learn more about the impact of the methodological designs on prevalence rates in each of these studies. 2 figures, 19 references