This report presents State estimates for 22 measures of substance use and mental health problems based on the 2007 and 2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs).
Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), NSDUH is an ongoing survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years or older.
Interview data from 136,606 persons were collected in 2007-2008 (see Table A.9 in Appendix A). Separate estimates have been produced for four age groups: 12 to 17, 18 to 25, 26 or older, and all persons 12 or older (estimates for past year major depressive episode [MDE] are available only for youths aged 12 to 17).
Also in this report are estimates for persons aged 12 to 20 for two of the measures—past month alcohol use and binge alcohol use.
Although estimates for persons 18 or older are not a part of this report, they are available at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/states.cfm.
For each measure, States have been ranked and categorized into quintiles, or fifths, in order to simplify the discussion. Estimates presented in this report are based on a hierarchical Bayes estimation method that combines survey data with a national model. Note that these estimates are benchmarked to the national design-based estimates (for details, see Section A.5 in Appendix A).
In addition to presenting State estimates for 2007-2008, Chapters 2 to 6 of this report provide comparisons of the 2006-2007 estimates with the 2007-2008 estimates and indicate whether the differences between the two are statistically significant for all measures. Increases or decreases are discussed only if they are statistically significant at the 0.05 level. A separate chapter (Chapter 7) comparing estimates between 2002-2003 and 2007-2008 for a select set of outcomes also is included in this report.
Alcohol Use
• In 2007-2008, the national rate of past month alcohol use was 51.4 percent. Among persons aged 12 or older, the rate ranged from a low of 27.8 percent in Utah to a high of 63.1 percent in New Hampshire. (Table B.9)
• Nationally, almost a quarter (23.3 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge use of alcohol in the past month in 2007-2008. Two States showed significant changes in binge alcohol use between 2006-2007 and 2007-2008: Oregon had a significant increase, whereas Wyoming had a decline. (Tables B.10 and C.10)
• In 2007-2008, the rate of past month alcohol use among persons aged 12 to 20 (underage use of alcohol) ranged from a low of 13.6 percent in Utah to a high of 38.3 percent in Vermont. Utah (11.7 percent) also had the lowest rate for past month underage binge use of alcohol, and North Dakota (28.0 percent) had the highest rate for this measure. There was a decrease at the national level in underage alcohol use from 28.1 percent in 2006-2007 to 27.2 percent in 2007-2008; similarly, there was a decrease at the national level for underage binge alcohol use from 18.8 percent in 2006-2007 to 18.0 percent in 2007-2008. Twelve States showed decreases in underage binge alcohol use: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. (Tables B.12 and C.12)
• Underage binge alcohol use in the past month decreased nationwide from 19.2 percent in 2002-2003 to 18.0 percent in 2007-2008. Eighteen States showed declines during this time period; however, the District of Columbia showed an increase. (Table D.12)
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