PDF, 3.8 MB - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services ...

1. Introduction
The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was the twenty-third in a
series of general population surveys designed to provide annual nationwide data on substance
abuse patterns and behaviors in the United States. Continuing the expanded sample design first
implemented in 1999, the scope of the 2003 survey allowed for the production of data estimates
for the Nation and each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Prior to 2003, the survey
was known as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). 1
The NSDUH was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the United States Public Health Service, part of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA chose RTI International 2 to conduct
activities including sampling, counting and listing, screening, interviewing, data processing, and
reporting. This report examines the preparations and procedures used in carrying out the data
collection tasks and also presents the results of data collection.
As an overview, data collection preparatory work on the 2003 NSDUH began in March
of 2002. Following a January training program for all returning veteran interviewers, data
collection work began on January 7, 2003 and was completed by December 21, 2003. The field
staff of approximately 680 field interviewers worked each month to complete a total of 67,784
interviews using computer-assisted interviewing (CAI).
Table 1.1 provides approximate time periods for the various tasks completed.
The remainder of this report addresses the following topics relating to data collection for
the 2003 NSDUH: Sampling and Counting/Listing Operations, Data Collection Staffing,
Preparation of Survey Materials, Field Staff Training, Data Collection, Data Collection Results,
and Quality Control.
1 Throughout this report, a reference made to a past NSDUH implies a past NHSDA, since the two names
refer to the same annual survey.
2 RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.
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