TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Republic of Georgia estimates for prevalence of drug use: randomized response techniques suggest under-estimation
JO  - Drug and alcohol dependence
A1  - Kirtadze, Irma
A1  - Otiashvili, David
A1  - Tabatadze, Mzia
A1  - Vardanashvili, Irina
A1  - Sturua, Lela
A1  - Zabranský, Tomas
A1  - Anthony, James C.
SP  - 300
EP  - 304
VL  - 187
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: Validity of responses in surveys is an important research concern, especially in emerging market economies where surveys in the general population are a novelty, and the level of social control is traditionally higher. The Randomized Response Technique (RRT) can be used as a check on response validity when the study aim is to estimate population prevalence of drug experiences and other socially sensitive and/or illegal behaviors. <br><br>AIM: To apply RRT and to study potential under-reporting of drug use in a nation-scale, population-based general population survey of alcohol and other drug use. <br><br>METHODS: For this first-ever household survey on addictive substances for the Country of Georgia, we used the multi-stage probability sampling of 18-to-64-year-old household residents of 111 urban and 49 rural areas. During the interviewer-administered assessments, RRT involved pairing of sensitive and non-sensitive questions about drug experiences. <br><br>RESULTS: Based upon the standard household self-report survey estimate, an estimated 17.3% [95% confidence interval, CI: 15.5%, 19.1%] of Georgian household residents have tried cannabis. The corresponding RRT estimate was 29.9% [95% CI: 24.9%, 34.9%]. The RRT estimates for other drugs such as heroin also were larger than the standard self-report estimates. <br><br>DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We remain unsure about what is the "true" value for prevalence of using illegal psychotropic drugs in the Republic of Georgia study population. Our RRT results suggest that standard non-RRT approaches might produce 'under-estimates' or at best, highly conservative, lower-end estimates.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0376-8716
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.03.019
ID  - ref1
ER  -