Oregon Healthy Teens School Survey 2008
NPC Research has collected drug use and risk and protective factor data from sixth, eighth, and eleventh grade public school students in Oregon for more than 10 years. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use (ATOD) use among public school students continues to be a cause of concern in Oregon as it is across the nation. Substance use in school-aged children affects scholastic performance and willingness to remain in school and may establish behavior patterns that follow an individual throughout his or her life. Knowledge about the risk and protective factors that exist in our schools and communities is essential to our efforts to prevent substance abuse and promote healthy lifestyles.
Each year, the survey has been modified and improved while maintaining item consistency necessary for longitudinal analyses. The current survey questions are based on prior survey instruments. One was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and collected data on health factors and drug use. The other was based on the risk and protective factors framework developed by J. David Hawkins and Richard F. Catalano of the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) at the University of Washington. A version of these surveys has been administered annually since 1986.
The analyzed data are used to form prevention programs and policies intended to reverse the trends of increasing drug use in Oregon and across the nation.
Project Team
Principal Investigator Project Director Research Staff- Katherine Kissick, B.A.
- Rich Mackin, B.F.A.
- Travis Ward, B.A.
