Data: Collection and Analysis
The National College Health Assessment (NCHA)(Note: Increasingly, intervention sites are utilizing the NCHA survey to collect baseline data for their social norms campaigns because its questions provide the most accurate, standardized measure of alcohol consumption, and also because it yields information about the indigenous protective behaviors of respondents.)
Organized by the American College Health Association (ACHA), this national research effort is designed to assist institutions of higher education in collecting data about the health of their students. The NCHA allows you to generate data and incidence rates for a variety of health issues at your institution, such as alcohol and tobacco use, sexual behavior, body weight, and mental health.
Each participating institution is sent their individualized data as well as a summary of data collected from all the participating institutions that follow the recommended sampling procedures. This data can help you to:
- Identify risk factors to students' safety and academic performance
- Prioritize student health care issues and allocate resources for programming
- Design new programs or evaluate current strategies
Contents of this site include:
- Sample of the Spring 2000 NCHA survey
- Participation/Processing fees & downloadable ordering forms
http://www.acha.org/home.htm For additional information, visit the home page of the American College Health Association.
Core InstituteCenter for Alcohol and other Drug Studies
(Note: While the Core survey can be and has been used to collect baseline data for a social norms intervention, it should be noted that it is of limited used in that regard. Increasingly, intervention sites are utilizing the NCHA survey because its questions provide a more accurate, standardized measure of consumption, and also because it yields information about the indigenous protective behaviors of respondents, whereas the Core survey does not.)
The Core Institute is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to assist institutions of higher education in drug and alcohol prevention efforts. The Institute offers both student and faculty/staff surveys including the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, a 4-page questionnaire which can be used as a pretest and posttest measure of the effectiveness of campus-based prevention programs. The Core Institute will score the instrument for your institution, and offers several report options (as well as special analyses) to aid you in interpreting your data. In addition, it offers literature based on past nationwide administrations of the Core instrument, slide presentations of past results, an instructional video on how to administer the Core instrument, and on-line research advice and help, as well as other assessment tools.
Contents of this site include:
- Sample of CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey (Long Form)
- Sample of CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey
- Sample of Campus Survey of Alcohol and other Drug Norms, with a description of its uses and reliability
An invaluable resource for national trend data, Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Each year, a total of some 50,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed (12th graders since 1975, and 8th and 10th graders since 1991.) In addition, annual follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation.
Contents of this site include:
- Press Releases
- Publications
- Data Tables and Figures (e.g. Drug Trends, Cigarette Trends)
- Purpose and Design of the Monitoring the Future Study
- Principal Investigators
- Links to Related Sites
This is a copy of the NIU Health Enhancement Services' (1996, Version B) Health Behavior Survey. It is provided as one sample of a health assessment survey instrument that has been developed by the institution itself.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and AddictionContents of this site include:
- ETOH Database: The most comprehensive online bibliographic database containing over 100,000 records on alcohol abuse and alcoholism. ETOH is updated monthly and contains research findings from the late 1960s to the present, as well as historical research literature.
- Quick Facts: Data tables that provide information on a number of alcohol-related topics.
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The National Health Survey Act of 1956 provided for a continuing survey and special studies to secure accurate and current statistical information on the amount, distribution, and effects of illness and disability in the United States and the services rendered for or because of such conditions. NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiological and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems and determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care.
Contents include:
- Survey questionnaires
- Datasets for selected years
- Faststats A-Z
- Data warehouse
- Publications and Information Products
- Related Links
SAMHSA presents the three agency websites that maintain official data files on the numbers of people using or needing to use the Nation's network of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services. SAMHSA's data-gathering operations help to determine the numbers of people at risk for mental and addictive disorders; their access to preventive services; treatment and other intervention services available in communities to people experiencing mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders; dollars available per capita; and many other variables. SAMHSA also assesses what treatments work for whom; examines what makes quality care; and determines whether needs and services are a good fit.
Contents include:
- Drug Abuse Statistics
- Mental Health Statistics
- Online Database Archive