Attachments D, R

2019 NSDUH, Supporting Statement
Attachment D – Question & Answer Brochure

Answers

If you have more questions
about NSDUH, please call
1-800-848-4079
or visit our Web site at
http://nsduhweb.rti.org

For more information on SAMHSA or
RTI International, contact:
NSDUH National Study Director
SAMHSA
Center for Behavioral Health
Statistics and Quality
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15E09A
Rockville, MD 20857
www.samhsa.gov

to your questions

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides up-todate information on alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, mental health and
other health-related issues in the United States. NSDUH is directed by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),
part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The study is being conducted by RTI International, a nonprofit research
organization.

National Survey
on Drug Use
and Health

NSDUH National Field Director
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
www.rti.org

RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.
v. 01.18

What Is the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health?

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. Conducted by RTI International.

NSDUH began in 1971 and is conducted every year. This year almost
70,000 people from across the United States will be interviewed for this
important study.
Information from NSDUH is used to support prevention and treatment
programs, monitor substance use trends, estimate the need for treatment
facilities and assist with the creation of government policy.

Answers to Your Important Questions about the National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Why Should I Participate?
You are important! Your household was one
of only a few in this area selected for this
study, and no other household or person
can take your place.
Every person who is chosen and completes
the full interview will receive $30 in cash at
the end of the interview in appreciation for
their help.
If chosen for an interview, you will represent
the residents of your community and help us
gather important information that is needed
to make sound policy decisions.
Your participation also provides vital
information to researchers and local, state
and federal agencies to design education,
treatment and prevention programs and
receive funding to support these efforts.

What if I Do Not Smoke, Drink
or Use Drugs?
In order to know the percentage of people
who smoke, drink or use drugs, we also
need to know how many people do not.

The responses of people who do not use
these substances are just as important as the
responses of people who do.

All information collected for this study will be
kept confidential and used only for statistical
purposes, as required by federal law – the
Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA).

While some questions ask about drug
knowledge and experience, other questions
ask about a number of health-related topics
relevant for all people. You do not need to
know anything about drugs to answer the
questions.

What Is the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services
Administration?

How Was I Chosen?
Household addresses, not specific people,
are randomly selected through scientific
methods. Once a household has been
selected, it cannot be replaced for any
reason. This assures that NSDUH accurately
represents the many different types of
people in the United States.
A professional RTI interviewer will visit your
household to ask several general questions
that only take a few minutes to answer.
Afterwards, one or possibly two members of
your household may be asked to complete
the full interview. It is possible that no one
in your household will be chosen for the
interview.

Your household has been chosen at random, but no one
else can take your place. Your participation matters!

What Will Happen During the
Interview?
An interviewer will conduct the interview
with each selected person using a laptop
computer. No prior computer skills are
necessary.
Participants will answer most of the
interview questions in private, entering their
responses directly into the computer. For
other questions, the interviewer will read the
questions aloud and enter the participant’s
responses into the computer.
The interview takes about one hour to
complete. Persons who complete the full
interview will receive $30 at the end of the
interview as a token of our appreciation.

SAMHSA is an agency in the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
SAMHSA was created to improve the lives
of people with or at risk for mental and
substance use disorders.
NSDUH is used to help this mission by
gathering data on substance use, problems
related to substance use, and mental health
problems in the United States. The numbers
of people who use various substances, or
have problems related to substance use or
mental health, are important for planning
treatment and prevention services.
SAMHSA selects a qualified survey research
organization to administer NSDUH.
RTI International, a nonprofit research
organization, is under contract with SAMHSA
to conduct NSDUH.

2019 NSDUH, Supporting Statement
Attachment R – NSDUH Highlights and
Newspaper Articles

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS from the
2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Past Month Cigarette Use among People Aged 12 or Older,
by Age Group: Percentages, 2002 - 2016
Tobacco Use
•

An estimated 51.3 million
Americans reported current use
(during the past month) of
cigarettes in 2016, which is 19.1
percent of the population aged 12
and older. Of these, 29.7 million
were daily cigarette smokers.

•

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

Alcohol Use

+ Difference between this estimate and the 2016 estimate is statistically significant at the .05 level.

Past Month Alcohol Use among People Aged 12 or Older,
by Age Group: Percentages, 2002 - 2016

•

Slightly more than half of all
Americans age 12 or older, 50.7
percent or an estimated 136.7
million persons, were current
drinkers in the 2016 survey, which
is lower than the 138.3 million
persons (51.7 percent) reported in
2015. The graph on the left
displays past month alcohol use by
age group.

•

Although consumption of alcoholic
beverages is illegal for those under
21 years of age, 19.3 percent of
this age group (7.3 million) were
current drinkers in 2016.

+ Difference between this estimate and the 2016 estimate is statistically significant at the .05 level.

Illicit Drug Use
•

An estimated 28.6 million Americans were current users of illicit drugs in 2016, meaning
they used an illicit drug at least once during the 30 days prior to the interview. This
estimate represents 10.6 percent of the population 12 years old or older.

•

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with an estimated 24.0 million current
users, or 8.9 percent of the population 12 years old or older, which is higher than the 2015
rate of 8.3 percent. In 2016, an estimated 6.2 million (2.3 percent) misused prescriptiontype psychotherapeutic drugs in the past month.

Major Depressive Episode in the Past Year among Adults Aged 18 or
Older, by Age Group: Percentages, 2005 – 2016
Mental Health
•

In 2016, an estimated
16.2 million adults, or
6.7 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, as shown
in the graph to the right.
+ Difference between this estimate and the 2016 estimate is statistically significant at the .05 level.

•

Adolescents aged 12 to 17 with past year MDE were more likely than those without MDE to
have used an illicit drug in the past year (31.7 vs. 13.4 percent). Youths with past year MDE
were more likely to be users of illicit substances, as shown in the graph below.
Past Year Illicit Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17, by Past Year Major Depressive Episode
(MDE) Status: Percentages, 2016

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in
the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5044,
NSDUH Series H-52).