@article{ref1,
title="Testing the question-behavior effect of self-administered surveys measuring youth drug use",
journal="Journal of Adolescent Health",
year="2017",
author="Briney, John S. and Brown, Eric C. and Kuklinski, Margaret R. and Oesterle, Sabrina and Hawkins, J. David",
volume="61",
number="6",
pages="743-746",
abstract="PURPOSE: Concern that asking about a specific behavior could elicit that behavior is often cited as a reason that communities and schools should not administer surveys about youth drug use. In this study, we investigated if this question-behavior effect exists related to substance use. We examined if simply asking a student about their current drug use leads to an increase in drug use 1 year later. <br><br>METHOD: This study tests the validity of the question-behavior effect on youth drug use in a longitudinal panel of 2,002 elementary school students. The sample of students was drawn from the Community Youth Development Study, a community-randomized test of the Communities That Care prevention system. If the prevalence of self-reported drug use in sixth grade in a sample surveyed in fifth and sixth grades was higher than in an accretion sample surveyed only in sixth grade, the difference could indicate a question-behavior effect. <br><br>RESULTS: Results from logistic regression analyses did not provide any evidence of a question-behavior effect on 30-day or lifetime prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, inhalant, or marijuana use reported in sixth grade. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Asking youth about drug use in a survey did not increase the rates of self-reported drug use measured 1 year later. The absence of evidence of a question-behavior effect should ease concerns of communities and schools when administering surveys asking youth about their drug use.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1054-139X",
doi="10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.026",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.06.026"
}