NCJ Number
178455
Date Published
1999
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides an overview of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Drug Study (DC*MADS), which was designed to estimate the prevalence, correlates, and consequences of drug abuse in the diverse population in the Washington metropolitan area, as well as to develop a research model for similar data collection on drug abuse in other U.S. major metropolitan areas.
Abstract
To achieve these objectives, a multiyear (1989-95) comprehensive research effort was designed to piece together the many sources of information about drug abuse from a wide range of individuals. This project is the first to focus on all types of people in one metropolitan area, from teenagers to working adults to homeless persons, so as to assess the full extent of the drug abuse problem and its effects. An overview of the DC*MADS project as a whole is followed by a brief description of the individual studies included in the rest of this book. This chapter also presents the demographic characteristics of the survey populations for the various studies, discusses the development and content of the questionnaires used in the studies, and offers definitions of key substance-use measures that are common across studies. This discussion is followed by an overview of the sampling and data-collection methodology and related methodological challenges that were faced in conducting the studies. The chapter next discusses the analytical approach for the studies, including weighted-analysis issues and procedures for addressing statistical precision. The chapter concludes with observations about the strengths and limitations of the project. 1 figure, 4 tables, and 31 references