Center for Health Data and Analysis

Rhode Island Adolescent Substance Abuse
Survey (ASAS)

The Center for Health Data and Analysis conducted the ASAS among Rhode Island public middle school and high school students in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1998. The survey collects in depth information regarding the use of tobacco, alcohol,  marijuana, and other substances, parental use of tobacco and alcohol, perceptions of risk associated with drug use, and perceptions of friends' attitudes toward drug use. The ASAS also contains questions pertaining to the demographic characteristics of respondents, their behavior, attendance, and performance at school, indicators of depression, and participation in extracurricular, religious, and job-related activities.

The 1998 survey was administered under contract by ORC Macro (formerly Macro International, Inc.) and involved 25,484 students in grades 7-12 from 53 schools in 20 of the state's 35 public school districts. Participation by districts, schools, and students was completely voluntary and confidential. Students responding to the survey were also anonymous.

The 1998 ASAS retained some questions from prior ASAS questionnaires. However, many questions from prior years were replaced with items from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for purposes of comparison to national data. As these changes may affect comparability between the 1998 ASAS results and those for prior years, such comparisons should be performed with caution. Contact the Center for Health Data and Analysis for further details.