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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce the proportion of people who misused prescription drugs in the past year — SU‑12 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), SAMHSA

Baseline: 6.2 percent of persons aged 12 years and over misused prescription drugs in the past 12 months in 2018

Target: 3.6 percent

Numerator
Number of persons aged 12 years and over who misused psychotherapeutic drugs in the past 12 months.
Denominator
Number of persons aged 12 and over.
Target-setting method
Projection
Target-setting method details
Linear trend fitted using weighted least squares and a projection at the 75 percent prediction interval.
1
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective. Using historical data points, a trend line was fitted using weighted least squares, and the trend was projected into the next decade. This method was used because three or more comparable data points were available, the projected value was within the range of possible values, and a projection at the 75 percent prediction interval was selected because the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an ambitious yet achievable target.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:

Numerator:
Have you ever, even once, used any prescription pain reliever in any way a doctor did not direct you to use it?
  1. Yes
  2. No
Have you ever, even once, used any prescription tranquilizer in any way a doctor did not direct you to use it?
  1. Yes
  2. No
Have you ever, even once, used any prescription stimulant in any way a doctor did not direct you to use it?
  1. Yes
  2. No
Have you ever, even once, used any prescription sedative in any way a doctor did not direct you to use it?
  1. Yes
  2. No

Methodology notes

NSDUH collects data on four categories of prescription drugs (pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives) covering numerous medications that currently are or have been available by prescription. NSDUH respondents are asked to report misuse of these drugs, defined as use in any way not directed by a doctor, including use without a prescription of one's own; use in greater amounts, more often, or longer than told to take a drug; or use in any other way not directed by a doctor. Misuse of over-the-counter drugs is not included. NSDUH reports combine the four prescription drug groups into a category referred to as "psychotherapeutics." Because the NDSUH prescription drug measures were revised in 2015, data for prescription drug misuse are not comparable with estimates prior to 2015.

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Retained, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 with no change in measurement.

1. Because Healthy People 2030 objectives have a desired direction (e.g., increase or decrease), the confidence level of a one-sided prediction interval can be used as an indication of how likely a target will be to achieve based on the historical data and fitted trend.