Testing the validity of national drug surveys: comparison between a general population cohort and household surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

There are concerns that national population-based estimates of illicit drug use are underestimated. We investigated this by comparing estimates of illicit substance use at age 24 from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) with a birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, ALSPAC) and by comparing the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Studies (STS/ATS) to ALSPAC.

Design

Cross-sectional household survey and cross-sectional data from one wave of a longitudinal birth cohort.

Setting

England and Wales.

Participants

Young adults aged 23-25 reporting on substance use in 2017 to CSEW (n = 1165), ALSPAC (n = 3389) and STS/ATS (n = 950).

Measurements

Lifetime and past-year illicit drug use, smoking status and hazardous drin

SUBMITTER: Charles H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8359398 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature