Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People, 2011

<P>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</P><p>The <i>Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People</i>&nbsp;surveys began in 1982, under the name Smoking among Secondary Schoolchildren. The series initially aimed to provide national estimates of the proportion of secondary schoolchildren aged 11-15 who smoked, and to describe their smoking behaviour. Similar surveys were carried out every two years until 1998 to monitor trends in the prevalence of cigarette smoking. The survey then moved to an annual cycle, and questions on alcohol consumption and drug use were included. The name of the series changed to <span style="font-style: italic;">Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young Teenagers</span> to reflect this widened focus. In 2000, the series title changed, to <span style="font-style: italic;">Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People.&nbsp;</span>NHS Digital (formerly the Information Centre for Health and Social Care) took over from the Department of Health as sponsors and publishers of the survey series from 2005. From 2014 onwards, the series changed to a biennial one, with no survey taking place in 2015, 2017 or 2019.</p><p>In some years, the surveys have been carried out in Scotland and Wales as well as England, to provide separate national estimates for these countries. In 2002, following a review of Scotland's future information needs in relation to drug misuse among schoolchildren, a separate Scottish series, <span style="font-style: italic;">Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey</span>&nbsp;(SALSUS) was established by the Scottish Executive.<br></p><br><B>Main Topics</B>:<BR><br>As well as the core questions on smoking, drinking and drug use, the 2011 questionnaire collected more extensive information about drug use. This included:<ul><li>pupils' first and most recent experience of drug use</li><li>dependence on drug use</li><li>perceived availability of drugs</li><li>buying drugs from the internet or shops</li><li>reasons for refusing drugs</li><li>the attitudes of pupils and their families to drug use</li><li>the impact of school lessons and other sources of information about drug use</li></ul>