National Survey on Drug Use and Health

National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Name	National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Country	United States
Agency	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Frequency	Annual
Started	1971

Contents

National Survey on Drug Use and Health is an annual epidemiological survey administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and implemented by the U.S. Census Bureau, producing national estimates of substance use and mental health among civilian, noninstitutionalized populations in the United States. The survey informs policymakers in the Department of Health and Human Services, supports programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and influences research at institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, the Johns Hopkins University, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Data from the survey are cited in analyses by think tanks like the Brookings Institution, advocacy groups such as the American Medical Association, and international comparisons including reports by the World Health Organization.

Overview

The survey collects data on illicit drug use, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and mental health indicators, producing estimates used by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It samples civilian populations across states and territories comparable to surveys conducted by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and international instruments such as the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction surveys. Results support epidemiological work at universities including Columbia University, Yale University, and University of Michigan, and inform legal analyses at courts like the United States Supreme Court in cases involving substance regulation.

The survey originated from predecessor surveys in the early 1970s and evolved through methodological revisions involving agencies such as the Office of Management and Budget and the National Research Council. Early lineage connects to initiatives at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and collaborations with the National Center for Health Statistics. Major milestones included sample redesigns following recommendations from panels convened at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and harmonization efforts aligned with data practices at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey’s evolution paralleled public policy shifts linked to legislation such as the Controlled Substances Act and federal initiatives led by administrations including those of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

Field operations are conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau using multi-stage area probability sampling with training and quality control overseen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and technical guidance from the National Center for Health Statistics. Data collection employs computer-assisted interview techniques comparable to protocols used by the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey, with confidentiality protections informed by standards at the Office for Human Research Protections. Weighting and variance estimation follow procedures recommended by the Institute of Medicine and statistical guidance from the American Statistical Association. The survey’s questionnaire content and mode adaptations have been reviewed in collaborations with researchers at Princeton University, Duke University, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Annual reports produce national and state-level estimates on past-month and past-year use of substances including marijuana, opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine, with comparisons drawn to overdose statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and treatment admissions data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Estimates of major depressive episodes, serious mental illness, and suicidal ideation are cross-referenced with surveillance systems at the National Violent Death Reporting System and research published in journals affiliated with Nature Publishing Group, The Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Trend analyses have been used by scholars at Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley to examine demographic differentials by age cohorts defined in studies by the Pew Research Center and labor-market analyses by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Findings from the survey have influenced federal funding allocations administered through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, informed regulatory actions at the Food and Drug Administration, and supported prevention strategies promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data are cited in policy reports from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, legislation debated in the United States Congress, and operational planning at state health departments such as those in California Department of Public Health and New York State Department of Health. The survey’s role in monitoring emerging substance trends has guided public health responses during crises addressed by the White House and emergency initiatives coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Researchers and advocacy organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and scholars at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Chicago have critiqued the survey’s exclusion of institutionalized populations such as incarcerated persons and residents of long-term care facilities, noting implications for estimates compared with data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Methodological limitations reported by panels at the National Academy of Sciences include challenges related to underreporting, nonresponse bias, and mode effects compared with longitudinal cohorts maintained at institutions like RAND Corporation and Mathematica Policy Research. Proposals for improvement have referenced practices at the Survey Research Center (University of Michigan) and recommendations from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.

Category:Surveys