Table 1.
Text of questions used in the analysis
| Question topic | Question text and coding |
|---|---|
| Never smoked cigarettes | Never smoked is coded 1 for students who mark the response ‘never’ to the question ‘Have you ever smoked cigarettes?’ and 0 for students who mark a response to indicate lifetime use of one or more cigarettes. |
| Ever smoked cigarettes | Coded as 1—(Never smoked). |
| Non-medical use of amphetamines in the past 12 months* | Coded 1 for students who checked a response of one or more to the question ‘Amphetamines and other stimulant drugs are sometimes prescribed by doctors for people who have trouble paying attention, are hyperactive, have ADHD, or have trouble staying awake. They are sometimes called uppers, ups, pep pills, and include drugs like Adderall and Ritalin. Drugstores are not supposed to sell them without a prescription from a doctor. They do NOT include any nonprescription drugs such as over-the-counter diet pills or stay-awake pills. On how many occasions (if any) have you taken amphetamines or other prescription stimulant drugs on your own—that is, without a doctor telling you to take them…’ and coded 0 for students who report no use occasions. |
| Non-medical use of tranquillisers in the past 12 months* | Coded 1 for students who checked a response of one or more to the question ‘4. Tranquilizers are sometimes prescribed by doctors to calm people down, quiet their nerves, or relax their muscles. Librium, Valium, and Xanax are all tranquilizers. On how many occasions (if any) have you taken tranquilizers on your own—that is, without a doctor telling you to take them—during the last 12 months?’ and coded 0 for students who report no use occasions. |
| Non-medical use of opioids in the past 12 months* | Coded 1 for students who checked a response of one or more to the question ‘There are a number of narcotics other than heroin, such as methadone, opium, morphine, codeine, Demerol, Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet. These are sometimes prescribed by doctors. On how many occasions (if any) have you taken narcotics other than heroin on your own—that is, without a doctor telling you to take them—during the last 12 months?’ and coded 0 for students who report no use occasions. |
*
Updates to this question over the study period had minor or no effect on prevalence estimates in the years they were implemented.22
ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.