A Coordinated Approach to Student Drug Use Surveys in Canada

Abstract

Student surveys of substance use provide an essential source of information regarding substance use trends, associated risks, sociodemographic correlates, and identification of high risk groups in a youth population. In Canada, these surveys are conducted intermittently in eight of ten provinces. Large methodological variability across jurisdictions limits opportunities for interregional comparisons and benchmarking. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, in partnership with national and provincial organizations, is working toward the development of a set of core indicators and a standard methodology for student surveys. Three working groups were formed to facilitate this work: development of indicators, development of guidelines for design and analysis, and identification of provincial/territorial school system characteristics. The first task was to develop and gain consensus on core indicators and was recently completed. This paper focuses on the process used to develop and select the indicators, including consideration of national and international surveys along with developing drug trends.