DOI: 10.3886/icpsr21240
title: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006
title: Archival Version

description: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series
(formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily
measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United
States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as
annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit
drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households
aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as
lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes:
marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants,
alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including
pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey
covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for
treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be
applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both
substance abuse and mental health related disorders. Respondents were
also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts,
health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record,
problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing.
Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the
2006 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to
17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such
as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends,
social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance
abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes
toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures
focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained
were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of
using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal
behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most
often were introduced with the 1999 survey. Background information
includes gender, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational
level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition.
description: Due to unequal selection probabilities at multiple stages of sample selection and various adjustments, such as those for nonresponse
and poststratification, the 2006 NSDUH sample design is not
self-weighting. Analysts are advised to use the final sample weight
when attempting to use the 2006 NSDUH data to draw inferences about
the target population or any subdomains of the target population.
All estimates published in SAMHSA reports (such as the results from
the 2006 NSDUH) are weighted using the final analysis weight for the
full sample (ANALWT). For the public use file, the corresponding final sample
weight is denoted as ANALWT_C, with the "C" denoting confidentiality
protection. This sample weight represents the total number of target
population persons each record on the file represents. Note that the
sum of ANALWT_C, over all records on the data file, represents an
estimate of the total number of people in the target population.
description: Response Rates: Strategies for ensuring high rates of participation
resulted in a weighted screening response rate of 90 percent and a
weighted interview response rate for the CAI of 74 percent. (Note that
these response rates reflect the original sample, not the subsampled
data file referenced in this document.)
description: A multistage area probability sample for each of the 50
states and the District of Columbia was used since 1999. The 2005 NSDUH is the
first survey in a coordinated five-year sample design. Although there
is no overlap with the 1999-2004 samples, the coordinated design for
2005 through 2009 facilitated a 50 percent overlap in second-stage
units (area segments [see below]) between each two successive years
from 2005 through 2009. This design was intended to increase
precision of estimates in year-to-year trend analyses because of the
expected positive correlation resulting from the overlapping sample
between successive survey years. The 2006 design allows for
computation of estimates by state in all 50 states plus the District
of Columbia. States may therefore be viewed as the first level of
stratification as well as a reporting variable. Eight states, referred
to as the large sample states, had a sample designed to yield 3,600
respondents per state for the 2006 survey. This sample size was
considered adequate to support direct state estimates. The remaining
43 states (which include the District of Columbia) had a sample
designed to yield 900 respondents per state in the 2006 survey. In
these 43 states, adequate data were available to support reliable
state estimates based on SAE methodology. Within each state, sampling
strata called state sampling (SS) regions were formed. Based on a
composite size measure, states were partitioned geographically into
roughly equal-sized regions. In other words, regions were formed such
that each area yielded, in expectation, roughly the same number of
interviews during each data collection period. The eight large sample
states were divided into 48 SS regions each. The remaining states were
divided into 12 SS regions each. Therefore, the partitioning of the
United States resulted in the formation of a total of 900 SS
regions. Unlike the 1999 through 2004 surveys, the first stage of
selection for the 2005 through 2009 NSDUHs was Census tracts. The
first stage of selection began with the construction of an area sample
frame that contained one record for each Census tract in the United
States. If necessary, Census tracts were aggregated within SS regions
until each tract had, at a minimum, 150 dwelling units in urban areas
and 100 dwelling units in rural areas. These Census tracts served as
the primary sampling units (PSUs) for the coordinated five-year
sample. One area segment (one or more Census blocks) was selected within each sampled Census tract. In advance of the survey period, specially trained listers had
visited each area segment and listed all addresses for housing units
and eligible group quarters units in a prescribed order. Systematic
sampling was used to select the allocated sample of addresses from
each segment. Each respondent who completed a full interview was given
a $30 cash payment as a token of appreciation for his or her time. To
improve the precision of the estimates, the sample allocation process
targeted five age groups: 12 to 17 years, 18 to 25 years, 26 to 34
years, 35 to 49 years, and 50 years or older. The size measures used
in selecting the area segments were coordinated with the dwelling unit
and person selection process so that a nearly self-weighting sample
could be achieved in each of the five age groups. The achieved sample
size for the 2006 survey was 67,491 persons. The public use file
contains 55,279 records due to a subsampling step used in the
disclosure protection procedures. A key step in the data processing
procedures established the minimum item response requirements in order
for cases to be retained for weighting and further analysis (i.e.,
"usable" cases). These requirements, as well as full sampling
methodology, are detailed in the codebook.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006
description: The civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the
United States aged 12 and older, including residents of
noninstitutional group quarters such as college dormitories, group
homes, shelters, rooming houses, and civilians dwelling on military
installations.
description: audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI); computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI)Data were collected and prepared for release by
Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.Prior to the 2002 survey, this series was titled National
Household Surveys on Drug Abuse.Although the design of the 2006 survey is similar to the design of the 1999 through 2001 surveys, there are important methodological differences since 2002 that affect the 2006 estimates. Each NSDUH respondent since 2002 has been given an incentive payment of $30. This change resulted in an improvement in the survey response rate. In addition, in 2002 new population data from the 2000 decennial Census became available for use in NSDUH sample weighting procedures. Therefore the data from 2002 and later should not be compared with data collected in 2001 or earlier to assess changes over time.For selected variables, statistical
imputation was performed following logical inference to replace
missing responses. These variables are identified in the codebook as
"...LOGICALLY ASSIGNED" for the logical procedure, or by the
designation "IMPUTATION-REVISED" in the variable label when the
statistical procedure was also performed. The names of statistically
imputed variables begin with the letters "IR". For each
imputation-revised variable, a corresponding imputation indicator
variable indicates whether a case's value on the variable resulted
from an interview response or was imputed. Missing values for some
demographic variables were imputed by the unweighted hot-deck
technique used in previous surveys. Beginning in 1999, imputation of
missing values for most variables was accomplished using
predictive mean neighborhoods (PMN), a new procedure developed
specifically for this survey. Both the hot-deck and PMN imputation
procedures are described in the codebook.To protect the privacy
of respondents, all variables that could be used to identify
individuals have been encrypted or collapsed in the public use
file. To further ensure respondent confidentiality, the data producer
used data substitution and deletion of state identifiers and a
subsample of records in the creation of the public use file.Previously published estimates may not be exactly reproducible from
the variables in the public use file due to the disclosure protection
procedures that were implemented.The setup and dictionary files
for Stata are designed to be compatible with StataSE, Version 8. This
is a large data file requiring that approximately 250 megabytes of
Random Access Memory be allocated to Stata. Operations within Stata,
including conversion of the ASCII data to Stata format, are likely to
be slow. Analysts may wish to download subsets of data from the SAMHDA
Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) system for use with Stata.Since 1999, the survey sample has employed a 50-State design with an independent, multistage area probability sample for each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.