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Activity Number:
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209
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Type:
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Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Tuesday, August 13, 2002 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Survey Research Methods*
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| Abstract - #301551 |
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Title:
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Coverage of the College Population and the Effect on Population Estimates in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
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Author(s):
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Katherine Bowman*+ and Joe Eyerman and James Chromy
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Affiliation(s):
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RTI International and RTI International and RTI International
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Address:
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3040 Cornwallis Rd, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709-2194, USA
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Keywords:
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coverage ; bias ; college population ; group quarters ; eligibility
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Abstract:
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A recent analysis of ineligible cases on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) showed that some college students may be systematically excluded from the survey as a result of the residence requirement for eligibility. The current residency rule requires that a person live in a sampled dwelling unit for more than half of the survey quarter. The second and third quarters of the survey are particularly vulnerable to the residency rule due to short overlaps with the academic calendar. Research has shown that the peak prevalence of substance use is found in the 18- to 25-year-old age group. By systematically undercounting the college population, we may be introducing bias to the study results. This paper reviews the coverage of the college population in the NHSDA and demonstrates the effect of undercount versus overcount on the population estimates of drug use.
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