Attachments I,J

Attachment I
2013 Q&A Brochure

What Is the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)?

National
Survey on
Drug Use
and Health

For more information on
NSDUH or SAMHSA, contact:
NSDUH National Study Director
SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral
Health Statistics and Quality
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 7-1009
Rockville, MD 20857
For more information on
NSDUH or RTI, contact:
NSDUH National Field Director
Research Triangle Institute
3040 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
1-800-848-4079

Answering Your Important Questions

Internet Users: You may access more
information about SAMHSA at:

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH) is the Federal Government's primary
source of national data on the use of alcohol,
tobacco, and illicit substances. The survey also
contains questions on health, illegal behaviors,
and other topics associated with substance use.
The study was initiated in 1971 and currently is
conducted on an annual basis. This year
approximately 70,000 individuals, 12 years old
and older, will be randomly selected and asked
to voluntarily participate.

Why Should I Participate?
■

NSDUH is the primary source of
national data on the use of
alcohol, tobacco, and illicit
substances. By volunteering in
this study, you are helping us
gather this important information
that is needed to make accurate
policy decisions.

■

Individual residents of selected
households, who are randomly
chosen and agree to participate,
are given $30 in cash at the end of
the interview.

■

If selected to participate, you will
represent over 4,500 other United
States residents. Since our sample
is selected based on scientific
random sampling, no other
household or person can be
substituted.

■

By participating in this study, you
will be assisting with the
formation of public policy.

The primary objectives of NSDUH are:
■ to provide accurate data on the level
and patterns of alcohol, tobacco,
and illegal substance use and abuse;
■ to track trends in the use of alcohol,
tobacco, and various types of drugs;
■ to assess the consequences of
substance use and abuse; and

http://www.samhsa.gov
Additional information about RTI is available at:
http://www.rti.org

■ to identify those groups at high risk
for substance use and abuse.

Additional information about the National
Survey on Drug Use and Health is available at:
http://nsduhweb.rti.org

Sponsored by
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration
U.S. Public Health Service
V.1.12

U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services

Conducted by
Research Triangle Institute
3040 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

Answering Your Important Questions about the

What is the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) is an agency of the U.S.
Public Health Service in the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS). SAMHSA
provides leadership and a Federal focus for the
Nation’s mental health and substance abuse
treatment and prevention programs. NSDUH is
used to help facilitate this mission by monitoring
the nature and extent of substance use in the
United States, as well as the consequences of
this use.

How Was I Selected?
A scientific random sample of households is
selected throughout the United States. Once
selected, no other residence can be substituted
for any reason. A professional RTI interviewer
makes a personal visit to each household to ask
several initial questions. One or possibly two
residents of your household may be asked to
voluntarily participate in the survey. If you are
selected, no other person can be substituted.
Since the survey is based on a random sample,
you will represent over 4,500 other United States
residents.

What if I Do Not Smoke, Drink or
Use Illegal Drugs?

What Happens to My
Information?

In order to know the percentage of people who
do use these substances, we also have to know
how many people do not. Therefore, the
responses of people who do not use drugs are
just as important as those of people who do. You
do not need to know anything about drugs to
answer the questions. In addition, we ask a
number of health-related questions that are
relevant for all people.

Each computerized interview data file—which
is identified only by a code number—is
electronically transmitted to RTI on the same
day the interview is conducted. The answers
then are combined with all other participants’
answers, and are coded, totaled, and turned
into statistics for analysis. As a quality-control
measure, you may receive a telephone call or a
letter from RTI to verify that the interviewer
did complete the survey with you.

How Is the Study Administered?

How Does the Government
Conduct the Study?
Under a competitive bidding process,
SAMHSA selects a survey research organization
to administer NSDUH. Currently, Research
Triangle Institute (RTI) is under contract to
conduct NSDUH through 2013. RTI, which is
located in Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina, and closely associated with the
University of North Carolina, Duke University,
and North Carolina State University, is a large,
experienced research organization that has
conducted NSDUH since 1988.

National Survey on Drug Use and Health

How Will the Data Be Used?
Government agencies, private organizations,
individual researchers, and the public at large
use the data for a number of purposes. For
example, the U.S. Public Health Service and
state health agencies use data from NSDUH to
estimate the need for drug treatment facilities.
Other federal, state, and local agencies use the
information to support their drug use prevention
programs and to monitor drug control strategies.

NSDUH data are collected in the privacy of the
participant’s home. A professional RTI
interviewer personally visits each selected
household to administer the
NSDUH questionnaire using a
laptop computer. For some
items, the interviewer reads
questions and enters the
responses into the computer;
however, the participant privately enters most
responses directly into the computer. The survey
takes about an hour to complete.

Will My Answers Be Kept
Confidential?
Both SAMHSA and RTI are committed to
assuring complete confidentiality of responses.
Our interest is only in the combination of all
responses nationwide—not anyone's individual
answers. Your full name is never recorded or
associated with your answers. The information
is only used for statistical purposes and cannot
be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality
of all answers to questions in this survey is
assured under Federal law, the Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). Any project
staff or authorized data user who violates
CIPSEA may be subject to a jail term of up to
5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

Attachment J
2013 NSDUH Highlights & Newspaper Articles

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS from the

2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Past Month Cigarette Use among Persons Aged 12 or Older,
by Age: 2010
Tobacco Use


An estimated 69.6 million Americans
reported current use (during the past
month) of a tobacco product in 2010,
which is 27.4 percent of the
population aged 12 and older. About
58.3 million (23.0 percent) smoked
cigarettes.



The graph to the right illustrates past
month cigarette use among persons
age 12 or older.

Alcohol Use
Current Alcohol Use among Persons Aged12-20,
by Age: 2002-2010

Illicit Drug Use



Slightly more than half of all
Americans age 12 or older, 51.8
percent or 131.3 million persons,
were current drinkers in the 2010
survey, which is similar to the 130.6
million persons (51.9 percent)
reported in 2009.



Although consumption of alcoholic
beverages is illegal for those under
21 years of age, 26.3 percent of this
age group (10.0 million) were current
drinkers in 2010. The graph on the
left displays the current use of
alcohol for 12-20 year olds from
2002 through 2010.



An estimated 22.6 million Americans were current users of illicit drugs in 2010, meaning
they used an illicit drug at least once during the 30 days prior to the interview. This
estimate represents 8.9 percent of the population 12 years old or older.



Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with an estimated 17.4 million current
users, or 6.9 percent of the population 12 years old or older, similar to the 2009 rate of 6.6
percent. Similar to 2009, an estimated 1.5 million persons were current users of cocaine,
while 695,000 currently used Ecstasy.

Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings,
DHHS/SAMHSA/CBHSQ, September 2011

Mental Health


In 2010, an estimated 15.5 million adults, or 6.8 percent of the population aged 18 or older,
had at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past 12 months. Among adults, the
percentage having MDE in the past year varied by age and gender, as shown in the graph
below.
Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year among Adults Aged 18 or Older,
by Age and Gender: 2010

Substance Dependence or Abuse among Adults Aged 18 or Older,
by Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year: 2010


Persons with past year MDE
were more likely than those
without MDE to have used an
illicit drug in the past year
(28.6 vs. 13.8 percent).



Similarly, substance
dependence or abuse was
more prevalent among
persons with MDE than
among those without MDE
(22.0 vs. 7.9 percent), as
shown in the graph to the
right.

Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings,
DHHS/SAMHSA/CBHSQ, 2011