On the Web: Statistics in Short Format

By Brian Campbell

SAMHSA's Web site is making short reports available on substance abuse-related topics such as alcohol-use trends among young adults, availability of drugs to female teenagers, and what young people believe about the risks of using drugs.

The Web documents are designed to extract information and data from lengthy reports, supply answers that address specific concerns and groups—such as youth or pregnant women—and make the data more readily accessible, readable, and easier to understand.

Presented in fact sheet format, the material is derived from key substance use information sources such as SAMHSA's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which provides annual estimates of the prevalence of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in the United States and monitors trends in use over time.

Another valuable information source, the Drug Abuse Warning Network, captures information about emergency department visits that are induced by or related to the use of an illegal drug or the nonmedical use of a legal drug.

In addition, the Drug and Alcohol Information System provides data on services available for addiction treatment and the characteristics of people admitted to treatment.

The online short reports, a service of SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS), are targeted to health professionals; health care prevention and treatment providers; public health program administrators, researchers, and educators; and members of the press and media interested in obtaining more specific and targeted information, statistics, and data on substance use and abuse. New reports are posted weekly, and all contain links enabling users to access the more comprehensive versions.

Each short report begins with a two- to three-bullet summary of the most salient findings, followed by an introduction to the topic, a series of brief paragraphs highlighting specific statistics, and downloadable charts and tables.

Titles are listed by topic areas, including Youth; Risky Behaviors and Violence; Treatment; American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Other Racial and Ethnic Groups; Alcohol and Tobacco; Marijuana; Heroin; Club Drugs, Cocaine, and Other Specific Drugs; Polydrug Use; Women, Pregnancy, and Other Topics on Women; and Attitudes and Perceptions About Drug Use.

Selected titles include Club Drugs; Polydrug Use Among Treatment Admissions; Youth Who Carry Handguns; Beliefs Among Youths About Risks from Illicit Drug Use; Obtaining Marijuana Easy for Youths; How Men and Women Enter Substance Abuse Treatment; Women in Substance Abuse Treatment; Tobacco and Alcohol Use Among Pregnant Women; Pregnancy and Illicit Drug Use; Older Adults in Substance Abuse Treatment; and Growth of Managed Care in Substance Abuse Treatment.

To access the reports, visit oas.samhsa.gov/facts.cfm.

The findings are also available in printed form by contacting the Publications and Data Dissemination Team, OAS/SAMHSA, Parklawn Building, Suite 16-105, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone: (301) 443-6239.

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